Marcus Rashford points to Instability at Manchester United as Factor in Career Dip, Thriving on Loan at Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain – Marcus Rashford has indicated that a turbulent environment at Manchester United contributed to a decline in his form, following a successful start to his loan spell at Barcelona. The England international, who joined Barcelona for the remainder of the 2024-25 season, has seemingly flourished after a period of struggle at Old Trafford.
Rashford signed a £300,000-per-week contract with Manchester United after a prolific season, but his goal contributions markedly decreased in the 2023-24 season, with just eight goals and five assists. This downturn coincided with warnings from then-manager Erik ten Hag regarding Rashford’s lifestyle, stemming from incidents including missing training after a tequila bender in Belfast and oversleeping, leading to a missed team meeting.
Ten Hag’s successor,Ruben Amorim,also publicly stated Rashford needed to “change” and emphasized the need for squad standards,ultimately freezing the forward out of his team.
Rashford’s loan move to Aston Villa saw a resurgence, with four goals and six assists in 17 appearances. Despite a recent disciplinary issue – being dropped by Hansi Flick for lateness to a team meeting – Barcelona officials have expressed satisfaction with his performances and openness to a permanent deal.
Barcelona sporting director Deco echoed Rashford’s sentiment regarding the impact of instability at his former club. “It’s too early to talk about decisions for next season, but what matters is that we’re happy with him. what we thought he could bring to us,he’s bringing,” Deco stated. “He’s a very high-level player. He exploded very early, then he had great seasons at United, then he had years of more complicated management with changes of coaches, and perhaps he struggled too as they demanded a lot of things from him there. But we’re happy with him – that’s the most crucial thing.”
Deco added, “These aren’t decisions for now. Now it’s time to focus on the games to come. A decision will be made, but that’s not being discussed right now. There’s a contract between the clubs but it has to be discussed.”
