Hansi Flick addressed the future of Marcus Rashford at Barcelona amid talk of the Blaugrana possibly negotiating a permanent transfer with Manchester United.
There have been talks in the last week about Barça wanting to turn Rashford’s loan into a permanent move this summer, but the Catalans are hoping to negotiate a lower amount than the initial €30 million buy option agreed between the clubs last year.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Flick praised Rashford’s contributions so far but did
say there’s still plenty of time left in the season and that the Englishman must prove that he wants to be at the club and “give his all” to “defend the colors” in the next six months.
“Deco and I always talk about the team, about what needs to be done… and about this. Marcus’s performance has been very good, but we have to manage the decisions. We have to look ahead to next season, but there’s still a long way to go. In his case, he’s a player who performs at a top level, but given our situation, and I also say this to the younger players, we’re one of the best teams in the world and they’re with the best players in the world. If you want to play for Barça, you have to give your all. I say this to anyone who’s with us or wants to be. The colors have to be defended. As for the rest, I don’t want them.”
Rashford had a strong start to his loan spell and delivered some really good numbers early on, but his contributions and playing time have not been the same since Raphinha’s return from injury, which is natural given the Brazilian’s importance, but it also raises the question of whether or not it is worth it to keep Marcus in the squad given his salary and the amount of money Manchester United will ask to make the move permanent in the summer.
