Marcus Rashford’s role at Barcelona could be about to change dramatically following an injury blow at Camp Nou.
The on-loan Manchester United attacker faces an anxious wait to discover if he will be available to play on the opening day of the La Liga season against Mallorca.
Barcelona have been unable to register Rashford due to constraints placed upon the club due to their failure to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP). He is one of five stars who finds himself in that position with little over a week to go before the title defence begins.
And the Catalans’ urgency to find him a new role is set to increase following the news that Robert Lewandowski is set to miss that match because of a hamstring injury.
Ahead of the Joan Gamper Trophy against Como, the Camp Nou side announced: “The striker is unavailable for Sunday’s game and his recovery will determine his return.”
While it’s unclear how long Lewandowski will miss, it represents a major blow to Barca on the eve of the season, particularly with doubts over Rashford’s availability.
Rashford steps up
Rashford was signed by Hansi Flick initially as an option for the left side of the midfield, but according to AS, Barcelona are starting to change their opinion on where they see the England international playing.
Having scored against Daegu in a 5-0 win on Monday, Rashford is now seen as a genuine option to play as a No.9.
The Madrid-based source reports: “Through training and matches on the Asian tour, perceptions have changed and the Englishman has proven he can perform as a centre-forward. He can be an emergency striker to rest Lewandowski, who felt the strain of matches in the second half of last season and ended up with physical problems.”
Lewandowski’s replacement was initially thought to be Ferran Torres, yet Rashford is now set to take the role. It is a position he has previously spoken about occupying, although he has not regularly been used there for some years.
Of course, Barcelona first have to register the Man Utd star before he can show what he can do in a competitive setting.
Football transfer news headlines today
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
