‘We were the better team’ – Amorim frustrated after Man Utd lose at Villa
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The 28-year-old has been benched in five of the past eight games in all competitions, with Flick preferring Raphinha and Lamine Yamal as his two wide options either side of Robert Lewandowski or Ferran Torres as the focal point.
But that has not dissuaded Rashford from wanting to realise his ambition of earning a long-term contract at the Camp Nou.
“I’m adapting very well to the club and the city,” said Rashford, who fell out of favour under United boss Ruben Amorim before his loan was sanctioned last summer.
“From the moment I arrived I felt that everyone welcomed me very well. For me, the reason I’m here is to help the team win trophies.
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Marcus Rashford played for 27 minutes against Villarreal
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“Last season was fantastic, but in life everything happens very quickly, things change and the goal is to repeat the successes. I’m totally focused on this. With the staff and the teammates everything is fantastic, I can’t complain.
“Of course what I want is to stay at Barca. It’s an end goal, but it’s not the reason why I’m training hard and giving it my best. The purpose is to win. Barca is a huge, fantastic club, built to win titles.”
United currently sit in seventh place, a marked improvement on last season’s lowest-ever Premier League result of 15th, though they are still beset by the inconsistency that has been a hallmark of Amorim’s time in charge.
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Rashford ‘had to adapt’ but is now ‘at best level’ – Flick
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Rashford’s return to form this season has coincided with him being back in contention with England ahead of the World Cup next summer, so it is only natural that the player is not wanting there to be any distractions regarding his own future which could get in the way of making Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
That said, a player who has always represented big clubs during his career naturally builds the type of character who can handle being in the spotlight of the English media, even if it is now slightly from afar.
“There is pressure here, but it is not a negative pressure,” Rashford continued. “It’s the one you want as a player, the one I want and have always wanted as a footballer.
“I can’t be in a place where important objectives are not demanded of you. For me, it is more difficult to be motivated and give my best at a club where the demand is not maximum.
“I’m in the perfect place and environment to continue my journey as a football player, so I just try to do my best every day and help the team win. We’ll see what happens next summer.”
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‘They wanted me to leave’ – Fernandes ‘hurt’ by Man Utd’s attempts to sell him to Al‑Hilal
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At United, Rashford’s relationship with Amorim unravelled swiftly with tensions surfacing just a month into the Portuguese manager’s reign in December 2024.
The forward was excluded from multiple matchday squads before he secured a loan move to Aston Villa for the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
That spell, however, proved only a stopgap as Rashford, and in July, he completed a loan move to Barcelona but the Catalan club have remained guarded over Rashford’s long-term future.
While the player himself has been unequivocal about his intentions, he must settle at present for a rare winter break before Barca return to action with a short trip across the city to face Espanyol on January 3.
