Marcus Rashford sends clear message to Man Utd as he proves Ruben Amorim wrong

Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford enjoyed another good match for Barcelona, scoring twice as they steamrollered Olympiakos 6-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday night

Marcus Rashford continued his impressive start as a Barcelona player by scoring twice in their 6-1 demolition of Olympiakos on Tuesday night. Rashford joined Barca on loan from Manchester United in the summer transfer window and has settled into Hansi Flick’s side.

Rashford was frozen out at United, demoted from the first team and forced to train with the other unwanted players in the bomb squad by Ruben Amorim. The England striker was the first of those exiled players to escape Old Trafford, getting his wish by joining Barca until the end of the 2025/26 season.

He was extremely excited to be moving to the Catalan giants and has exceeded expectations, with some believing he would merely be a back-up player. But two goals in the Champions League against Olympiakos means he now has an impressive tally of five goals and five assists across 12 games in all competitions this season.

With the injured Robert Lewandowski unavailable and Ferran Torres on the bench, Rashford was fielded as a centre-forward by Flick, with Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez and Dro Fernandez playing in support of the United loanee. And while Lopez grabbed a hat-trick, it was the brace from Rashford that will have raised eyebrows in the red half of Manchester.

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Rashford won the penalty that Yamal scored to make it 3-1 and effectively secure the three points after Olympiakos had a man sent off. And he then found the back of the net twice in quick succession, scoring in the 74th and 79th minute.

His two goals means he has either scored or assisted in eight of his last nine matches for Barcelona, representing a return to his best. There were glimpses of his undeniable talent during the brief loan spell with Aston Villa last season, but the consistency is now evident under Flick.

The former Germany manager clearly has no issue with fielding Rashford as a No.9, despite Amorim’s reservations. The 27-year-old has generally played off the left side in recent years, yet feels comfortable in a central position for Barca.

“Marcus can be a No 9 or a No 11,” Flick said recently. “When we think of him, we value the fact that he can play in more than one position. He has given us a lot of positives and, of course, he can play as a centre forward.”

That was proven on Tuesday night and Rashford will be hoping that he can maintain his stunning form, with one eye on earning a permanent transfer to Barcelona and one on earning a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

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