Marcus Rashford appears to have finally found a new home after Manchester United, with the Blaugrana colours suiting the England forward and helping to rediscover the form that once made him one of Europe’s most feared attackers.
Against Atletico Madrid in La Liga, he played a key role in the result, creating and finishing the equaliser to stop the hosts from taking control of the game in the first half.
Tireless running, clever link-up play, a goal of his making, at what point do we finally start putting some respect on Marcus Rashford’s name?
For me, Rashford has been one of English football’s easiest targets, whether that be in the media or from fans across the Premier League. It comes at the earliest opportunity, poor run of form, a missed chance or a bad result and the criticism arrives instantly. Few players in the country are judged more harshly, even though he continues to deliver whenever he is trusted.
His latest performance was another reminder of that.
Rashford stretched the opposition with his pace, worked relentlessly off the ball in the final third and combined intelligently with those around him. Most importantly, he made the decisive contribution, creating the move before finishing it himself.
It was fair that he got overlooked by Lamien Yamal and Pedri's performances, you could even throw Eric Garcia's 90 contribution on top of the victory, but his performance deserves to be recognised.
However, with the English media there is always a caveat attached. He is inconsistent. He does not work hard enough in tracking back for the opponent's attack. Reliability is an issue. Those criticisms have followed him for years, to the point where they have almost become accepted fact.
What do the stats say?
In his first season in a new league, he has made 25 La Liga appearances, scoring five goals and providing six assists. Those numbers, however, do not tell the full story. Ten of those outings have come from the bench, often leaving him with limited time to make an impact or entering games that have already been effectively decided.
His Champions League record paints a far clearer picture. Rashford has produced five goals and four assists in just nine appearances, an impressive return for a player many had already written off.
There is no doubt Rashford still has weaknesses. He can drift out of games and there are times when his defensive work could be sharper. But those flaws should not overshadow his qualities.
In a Barcelona shirt, he has won over the support of Los Cules, and few supporters would object if the club decided to make his move permanent this summer.