Gary Lineker has made his preference clear for Marcus Rashford’s future between Manchester United and Barcelona.
Marcus Rashford has put his career back on track since his summer loan move to Spanish side Barcelona, following a rough spell under former Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim.
The England international has tallied ten goals and ten assists for the Catalan giants in 37 appearances, competing alongside world class talents such as Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
The loan provides Barca with a buy option of £26 million to make the move permanent and keep Rashford in La Liga for the following seasons, which seems more likely given the Englishman’s positive performances.
Former England and Barcelona striker turned pundit Gary Lineker has made his opinion clear as the summer looms closer and a decision between Old Trafford and the Camp Nou is set to be made.
Lineker in favour of permanent Barcelona move
Speaking on The Rest is Football Podcast, Lineker explained, “He’s not getting many minutes at the moment. That’s for obvious reasons. Lamine Yamal is playing on the right and Raphinha is playing on the left and they are both in the top five players in world football.”
“So it’s understandable. But whenever he comes on he does really well.”
When discussing Rashford’s future at Barcelona, the 65-year-old stated, “I think that would be a great move for him, don’t you? It looks promising for him.”
“I think it will come down to Marcus. If he goes back to Manchester United he will face all the old criticism again. Oh, ‘He’s focusing too much on helping kids have food on their table’, like it’s a bad thing. They did this bizarre thing about why he was wearing some kind of flashy necklace.”
“They don’t do that nonsense over there [in Spain] so he just gets on with his football. It was a fresh start and I would imagine he’s really loving it and not getting all the off-field nonsense he gets in this country. They leave you to live your life.”
“It doesn’t compare to how our media is here.”
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Rashford’s treatment in the media
Surprisingly, Rashford often found himself as the source of heavy criticism during his time at Man United despite striving to be a role model for the younger generation, campaigning for free school meals, writing his own book and still performing on the pitch.
The 28-year-old has had the watchful eye of the media lifted off his shoulders as he has quickly become an integral part in the famous red and blue of Barcelona.
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However the dismissal of Ruben Amorim paired with the arrival of Michael Carrick may re-open the door to Rashford’s Old Trafford return potentially answering the questions to United’s left-wing worries.
European football next season could also call out for advancements in United’s squad depth. Rashford’s commendable versatility could be a crucial asset for either side next season.
For now, Rashford keeps his attention on securing his first league title with Barcelona as they lead the way in Spain’s top flight, as well as advancing in the Champions League with Newcastle next in their track.
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