Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford has made a change during his time at Barcelona
Marcus Rashford has demonstrated his desire to stay at Barcelona by making a significant change following disciplinary action for lateness. The Manchester United loanee joined the Spanish giants last summer.
The England international has made clear his ambition to remain with the Catalan club beyond this season. Barcelona have the option to make Rashford's deal permanent for £26million in the upcoming transfer window.
He has appeared on 39 occasions for Hansi Flick's side, netting 10 goals and contributing 13 assists. However, the 28-year-old was notably omitted from the starting XI for a league fixture with Getafe in September after turning up late to a team meeting.
Rashford had reportedly been two minutes late, prompting Flick to enforce his punctuality rules, though he still featured in the match as a half-time substitute. The Daily Mail reports that Rashford has looked to avoid repeating the error and now turns up 30 minutes early, demonstrating his dedication to Barcelona.
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It was not the first occasion in Rashford's career that the forward had been relegated to the bench for punctuality issues. In December 2022, he was named as a substitute by Erik ten Hag before netting the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Wolves.
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Speaking to BT Sport following the match, Rashford explained: "Obviously it's team rules. I made a mistake. That can happen. I'm obviously disappointed not to play but I understand the decision and I'm happy we managed to win anyway.
"We draw a line under it and move on. I was a little bit late for a meeting. I overslept but it can happen."
The 2022/23 season witnessed Rashford net 30 goals for United in all competitions. Yet, in the following campaign, Ten Hag found himself answering questions about Rashford being seen out in Belfast.
The United manager described the matter as an "internal matter", with Rashford omitted from the matchday squad for an FA Cup tie against Newport County in January 2024. Ten Hag's replacement Ruben Amorim later expressed concern about the attacker's performances in training.
"It's always the same reason - the training, the way I see a footballer should do in life. It's every day, every detail," Amorim stated in January 2025.
"If things don't change, I will not change. It's the same situation for every player, if you do the maximum and right things we can use every player."
The forward fell out of favour under Amorim and last featured for United in December 2024. He moved to Aston Villa on loan last February before completing a switch to Barcelona in the summer.
Rashford's eagerness to learn from his previous errors this season demonstrates his determination to stay at Barcelona. Back in October, when quizzed about whether he wanted to remain with the Spanish giants, Rashford told ESPN: "Oh yeah, for sure. I'm enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game. For a player it is an honour."
