'The experiment's finished' - Guillem Balague delivers brutal Marcus Rashford and Barcelona verdict
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(Credit: Manh Tung, Breaking Media/Imago)
Charlie Grace
Sun 24 August 2025 19:40, UK
Marcus Rashford made his first start for Barcelona in their 3-2 away win over Levante, coming from 2-0 down at halftime.
Rashford made the switch to Barcelona on loan from Manchester United this summer after falling out of favour with Ruben Amorim.
The English international came off of the bench against Mallorca last weekend and was given the nod to start against Levante on Saturday.
However, he failed to make an impression on the game and Guillem Balague gave his thoughts on Rashford’s performance.
(Credit: Hasan Karim – Breaking Media)
Having struggled to impact the game in the first half Rashford was taken off by Hansi Flick at halftime with his side 2-0 down.
Balague spoke to Premier Sport to discuss Rashford’s performance with the Spanish football expert saying: “At half time I think the experiment finished.”
Balague also said: “I think his teammates need to help him, the team was a little slow with [Marc] Casado in the middle, so when he had the ball he only really had the chance to do his thing which he did a couple of times when his explosive pace helped him to create a chance which he had that was well saved.
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“I felt that he needed to understand that against a team that was playing very deep it required them to be a little more patient and required a player to play between the lines, and he’s not that type of player.”
Rashford was replaced by Dani Olmo, and Barcelona were able to mount a second half comeback scoring three goals to win the match 3-2.
(Credit Imago)
Football Insider verdict
After falling out of favour with Amorim at United, Rashford now has the chance to start a new chapter, moving away from England to play in Spain with Barcelona.
The move will hopefully allow Rashford to free himself up and play with more enjoyment in a new setting that will surround him with world class talent.
After a positive loan spell at Aston Villa in the second half of last season the mood around Rashford has lifted having seen how he can play in an environment outside of Manchester.
SeasonGoals2020-21112021-2242022-23172023-2472024-256Marcus Rashford’s league goals in the last five seasons (FBRef)
Having missed out on a place in Sir Gareth Southgate’s England squad at Euro 2024, Rashford played himself back into international reckoning featuring in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for England’s World Cup qualifiers in the spring, playing against Latvia and Albania.
If Rashford can put his first start behind him and regain his form from his peak at United there is certainly scope for Rashford to feature for England at next summer’s World Cup.
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