Man United sold a player who 'could get into any team' as Champions League heroics laid bare
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net.
(Credit: Imago, Getty)
Oliver Walton
Fri 19 September 2025 6:10, UK
Man United will be full of regret after Marcus Rashford proved his quality with a superb showing against Newcastle in the Champions League.
Marcus Rashford sealed his dream move to Barcelona in July as he joined on loan from Man United following a season of initial struggle then more promise when he temporarily moved to Aston Villa.
His Red Devils career had reached a low point at the start of 2024-25, after a fallout with Ruben Amorim meant he departed the club for the first time in his career to join Villa, where he impressed and proved that he has a lot left in the tank at the top level.
Rashford initially faced uncertainty at Barcelona as they rushed to register him in time to play in La Liga and the Champions League, but he started two of their first four games of the campaign and even provided an assist last weekend against Valencia.
Hansi Flick chose to hand him a start in his home country as Barca travelled to Newcastle for their first Champions League clash of the campaign, and he repaid his faith with a superb showing that had one particular pundit purring and many Man United fans likely fuming.
Credit: Imago
The England forward had a quiet first half as the hosts were on top, but he exploded into life in the second period with a fantastic header to open the scoring two minutes before the hour mark.
Rashford scored a brilliant second goal against Newcastle nine minutes later, with a long-range strike that went in off the crossbar and left Nick Pope helpless.
MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES
Former footballer and current pundit Joe Cole spoke live on TNT Sports (18 September, 10:11pm) in a glowing manner about his overall showing and goals, insisting that Rashford could star for any club in world football when he is performing to the best of his ability.
He said: “The whole story of Marcus Rashford has been fantastic from the start, you know, he became a real icon for the game and everything he did off the pitch, but what he’s done on the pitch is superb.
“When he’s at the top of his game he can be unstoppable, we’ve just not seen enough nights like that.
“When he’s at his best, he’s an England star, he could be a Barcelona star…he could get into any team in the world.
You just want to see him enjoying his football again, and it was great tonight…brilliant from him.”
The last few years of Rashford’s career have certainly not gone to plan, but his spell at Villa saw him back playing near his best at times in a much more settled and less pressure-driven environment compared to that of Man United.
He looks set to continue his Villa form in a similar vein on a much bigger scale with Barcelona, and this great brace could kickstart his career in Spain as he seeks a permanent move away from Old Trafford at the end of the season.
Rashford was given extra time away from Man United’s Carrington base prior to pre-season, then told to train away from the first-team players while he tried to seal an exit, so there is obviously no future for him at the club as long as Amorim is in charge.
Amorim is now under serious pressure as Man United head-coach after a bad start to the new campaign, with his current attackers misfiring while the club have a player with the ability of Rashford out on loan at a side performing to a much better level than their own.
None of it makes much sense from the Red Devils’ point of view, and it certainly looks like Rashford will be getting the last laugh this season based on what has already happened over the last month.