Why Rashford must be patient over Barcelona future
Rashford made a big decision in joining Barca last summer. On Saturday, he scored his 12th goal of the season to edge them closer to the title. Last summer, Rashford left England after a difficult spell, with the exception of a productive six months with Aston Villa.
His relationship with Manchester United seemed irreparable, the noise around him suffocating. Joining Barcelona looked, to some, like a gamble - the 27-year-old moving to one of the most demanding clubs in the world with no pre-season, making his debut against Mallorca without having trained properly with his team-mates. Many players may have viewed it as a transitional year.
Rashford did not. From his first weeks, he followed instructions, ran, created and scored. All while adapting to a new language, a new culture, and a dressing room that had - under Hansi Flick - been operating with a particular tactical system for a year at the highest level of European football.
Barcelona have an extraordinary concentration of attacking talent. But when you measure goals and assists per minute across La Liga this season, Rashford ranks among the best forwards at the top three clubs - Barca, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. He produces a direct goal contribution - a goal, assist, or penalty won - approximately every 92 minutes.
His team-mate Raphinha does likewise every 96 minutes - as does Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe. For Barca's Lamine Yamal, it's one every 102 minutes, while Real's Vinicius Junior manages one every 143. By that same metric, Rashford has been the best English player in their debut La Liga season.