Will Marcus Rashford Boost Barcelona?

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It's that time of year when many English people jet off to Spain for sun, sand and sangria. Marcus Rashford has done the same, though in fairness to the Manchester United forward his trip is more related to work than pleasure as he finalises a loan move to Barcelona.

Rashford as the New Gary Lineker?

It was a bit strange to see Marcus Rashford in an Aston Villa kit last season. The 27-year-old felt at one time as though he would be a Man Utd lifer, having come through the academy and starred at Old Trafford since Louis van Gaal gave him his debut back in 2016.

However, after falling out of favour with Ruben Amorim last season, Rashford moved to Villa Park on loan to ensure he could get some minutes. His form in the Midlands earned him a place in Thomas Tuchel's first England squad in March.

With a World Cup next summer, it's important that he plays more regularly in 2025-26. Though Villa chose not to keep Rashford despite four goals and five assists in 17 games, an unlikely suitor has seemingly offered him an opportunity.

A deal for Barcelona to take Rashford on loan with an option to buy next summer is reportedly close, which would see him become the first Englishman to play for the Catalan club since Gary Lineker, who scored 42 goals in 103 La Liga appearances for Barça.

In fact, next season could see the first ever El Clásico where both Barcelona and Real Madrid have an English player in their lineups. Rashford could come head-to-head with England teammates Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Statistics and Performance

This could also mean it is the last we'll have seen of Rashford in a United kit. He has made 426 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions since that debut over nine years ago, scoring 138 goals and providing 60 assists.

Whether he gets the game time he needs is up for debate, though. Can he force his way into Hansi Flick's team past the phenomenal trio of Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski, who got 140 goal involvements between them last season?

Bye-Bye Brentford Bromance

Batman and Robin, Bonnie and Clyde, Bert and Ernie; who doesn't love an iconic duo? Football is littered with them too, and last season, Brentford were treated to a link-up so impressive, it often made the Bees one of the better teams to watch in the Premier League.

Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa showed the sort of understanding in 2024-25 that often made it feel as though they were the only two players on the pitch, helping to fire Brentford to a top-half finish.

However, with Manchester United prising Mbeumo from the Gtech Community Stadium, that partnership is sadly no more.

Partnership Statistics

Mbeumo and Wissa created 29 chances for one another in the Premier League last season, with the Cameroon international creating 20 of those (Wissa 9).

Only Chelsea's Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke (35) and Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah (33) created more for one another in England's top flight last season.

Mbeumo and Wissa combined for six assists for one another in the league, with only Aston Villa pair Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins (7) and Newcastle's Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak (7) combining for more.

Penalty Expertise Quiz

Penalty Quiz Answers:

  1. Alan Shearer with 56 penalties scored
  2. Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard (both 11 missed)
  3. Leicester City in 2019-20 season (13 penalties awarded)
  4. Leicester City (2019-20) and Crystal Palace (2022-23) - both 11 scored
  5. Erling Haaland against Wolves

Women's EURO Penalty Statistics

Following England's quarter-final penalty shootout win over Sweden, where only five of the 14 spot-kicks taken were scored, questions arose about penalty quality at the tournament.

The penalty conversion rate at Euro 2025 eventually reached 58.5% (24/41), which is still lower than at Euro 2013, but only just. The lowest conversion rate at a major tournament since 2011 was 60.9% at Euro 2013.

Thank you to Stats Perform for providing the data and photographs.

More infotmation:24live.com


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