Barcelona Not Considering Buying Rashford Permanently: Lack of Pressing Disrupts Balance

Marcus Rashford has made a good, even excellent start to the season at Barcelona. The English forward, who joined on loan from Manchester United last summer, has ably filled the void during Brazilian winger Raphinha’s injury absence, delivering impressive statistics. He is one of only two players (alongside Eric García) to feature in every game, and his playing time ranks second in the team, trailing only Eric García. Across all competitions this season, he has made 16 appearances, scoring 6 goals and providing 9 assists.
It took him roughly 16 games to fully settle in. Frankly speaking, purely from a statistical standpoint, his performances are indeed remarkable—contributing to 15 goals in total (6 goals and 9 assists). However, these numbers cannot hide a practical issue: the English forward has disrupted the team’s tactical balance to a certain extent. Why is that? Because he seems unwilling to press actively. In the counter-pressing phase after losing possession, his contribution is almost negligible, always leaving the opposing full-back an unobstructed fast track to advance freely down the flank. This situation frustrated Hansi Flick immensely, who realized he couldn’t fully commit to attacking, as Rashford was the only left-sided winger in Raphinha’s absence.
But Flick eventually reached his limit. At halftime of the match against Celta Vigo, he specifically pulled Rashford aside for a one-on-one talk. Flick clearly told him: either put on overalls and work like a laborer, or his time at Barcelona would come to an end. Whether it was Flick’s unprecedented severity or Rashford’s awareness that Raphinha was about to return, he decided to step up, starting to press opposing full-backs actively and even tracking back multiple times to assist Alejandro Balde in defense. As a result, in the second half, we witnessed Barcelona’s best performance of the season, reminiscent of the crazy and dominant team from last year. Celta Vigo barely posed a threat to Wojciech Szczęsny’s goal in the second half, with Szczęsny more eager than ever to return to the bench and smoke an e-cigarette in peace.
Unfortunately for Rashford, he only came to his senses when he sensed danger—when he learned that Raphinha was about to return and would become the first choice on the left flank. When that moment arrives, the English forward would do well to observe and note all of Raphinha’s performances, both with and without the ball, especially his off-the-ball movement and defensive work.
If he can maintain such statistics, the answer would likely be yes when Barcelona’s sports management considers activating his purchase option. According to British media reports, his buyout clause ranges from €30 million to €35 million, and Barcelona sporting director Deco will have two solid reasons to try to lower this price:
If Rashford wants to stay at Barcelona next season (with a buyout fee of €30 million), he must understand that statistics are both objectively cold and lack practical utility. No matter how much he contributes in attack, if he doesn’t press actively, his overall contribution is completely unsatisfactory. So far, his performances have been inconsistent, to the point where no one in the club’s senior management is considering activating his buyout option. But in the second half against Celta Vigo, we witnessed a miraculous scene: Rashford pressed and worked as if it were his last day. With such an attitude, Barcelona’s door may well open for him again next summer.