Marcus Rashford presented a serene outward demeanor when confronted with the very real prospect of being barred from playing for Barcelona during the early weeks of La Liga.
If the Spanish top flight were to start today, Hansi Flick would be unable to call upon Rashford’s services. As things stand, the Manchester United loanee is not registered as a Barcelona player, much like fellow summer recruit Joan García and Wojciech Szczęsny, who signed a new contract.
This significant inconvenience is because Barcelona would exceed La Liga’s strict salary cap were they to include the wages promised to their new arrivals. Unlike other divisions such as the Premier League, where clubs are retroactively punished for violating financial rules, La Liga takes a proactive approach.
Barcelona are no strangers to this scenario. The likes of Jules Koundé and Dani Olmo have both missed the opening games of new league seasons while the Catalan giants frantically find a way to satisfy the division’s regulations.
The prospect of not being able to play for Barcelona was reportedly one of the reasons behind Nico Williams’s failed move to Catalonia. Rashford didn’t share the same concerns. “I’m calm,” was his response to journalists’ questions about his uncertain registration. “I trust the club will resolve it. I’m focused on training and getting in shape for the start of the competition.”
Rashford struck a confident tone throughout his interaction with the media following Barcelona’s friendly thrashing of FC Seoul. When asked how many goals he hoped to score this season, he laughed: “100.”
Raphinha has openly discussed the added competition for places which Rashford’s arrival provides and the England international wasn’t fazed himself. “There are a lot of good players, but I already knew them before I came,” he shrugged. “The quality is very high, the intensity too, and that’s what we have to maintain throughout the season.”
“I can play in different positions and score goals from any of them,” added Rashford, who has been reportedly considered by Flick as a potential alternative to Robert Lewandowski at center forward. “It’s about creating chances from different areas and taking advantage of them.”
Rashford’s ambitions for the coming season have been transformed by his change of club. Manchester United would have to pull off the biggest season-on-season improvement in the club’s Premier League history to simply achieve their public goal of qualifying for the Champions League this term. Rashford wants to win the competition for Barça.
“Of course, it’s everyone’s dream to win the Champions League,” he noted. “Last year was a very good season, but we’ll try to improve on it by winning that title.”
If Rashford can help inspire Barcelona to European glory, he would become just the fourth Englishman to ever win the Champions League with a non-English team, joining an exclusive club made up of Jude Bellingham, Owen Hargreaves and Steve McManaman.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Marcus Rashford Responds to Prospect of Not Being Able to Play for Barcelona.