Ahead of Marcus Rashford’s arrival, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick’s plans for Manchester United loanee comes to light: Reports

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has reportedly laid out plans for Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford. The Englishman spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa and faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford.

With Rashford seemingly not in manager Ruben Amorim's plans at the moment, his future looks likely to be away from the club. Amid that Barca Universal (via SPORT) has reported that the 27-year-old is set to arrive at the Camp Nou on a season-long loan deal.

Despite Rashford's ability to play centre-forward, though, Flick doesn't see him as a backup to veteran striker Robert Lewandowski, who has been a prolific scorer for Barca since arriving from Bayern Munich three summers ago. He's also not expected to be a regular starter on the wings, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha going strong.

The publication had reported in May that Barcelona sporting director Deco had met Rashford's brother, who's also Marcus' agent, and that Flick had a conversation with the player and expressed interest in signing him.

However, considering the availability of attackers, especially down the centre, Rashford isn't likely to be an automatic starter but could be a useful left wing option from the bench ahead of a long season.

As per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Rashford''s loan move to Barca has been 'verbally' agreed by all parties, with his medical set to be scheduled in the next few days. The Blaugrana will have an option to buy the player in case he impresses.

It's pertinent to note that Barcelona were eyeing Nico Williams, who has signed an extension with Athletic Bilbao, and Liverpool's Luis Diaz. But with deals for either player looking complicated, the Blaugrana eventually went for the Englishman.

How did Barcelona loan arrival Marcus Rashford fare last season?

Marcus Rashford had an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign, finishing with 11 goals and nine assists in 41 games across competitions for two different clubs. After managing seven strikes and three assists for Manchester United in 24 games across competitions, the Englishman moved to Aston Villa on loan for the season.

During his six-month stint at there, Rashford registered 10 goal contributions (four goals and six assists) in 17 games across competitions. Unai Emery's side finished fifth in the Premier League and reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, where they lost to eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain.

Overall, the Englishman hs 138 goals and 79 assists in 426 games across competitions for United since his first-team debut in the 2015-16 season, as he looks to rejuvenate his career at Barcelona.

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Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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