Barcelona weigh up £26m Marcus Rashford transfer as loan spell ends
Marcus Rashford has completed his loan spell at Barcelona following a 3-1 defeat by Valencia, leaving the Spanish side to decide whether to trigger a £26m permanent transfer from Manchester United.
The England international made his final appearance for the Catalan giants on Saturday.
His future now depends on whether the La Liga champions are willing to meet the required valuation to secure his signature on a long-term basis.
Mixed verdicts from Spanish media
The forward endured a frustrating final match at the Mestalla, failing to register a single shot on goal.
Spanish publication Sport awarded the 28-year-old a six out of 10 rating and described his performance as tough.
That’s the typical adjective used to describe someone who runs a lot but doesn’t finish anything.
At Barca, you have to demand more from a winger, beyond the Englishman’s extraordinary stats.
Struggles for consistency
Despite completing 89% of his passes, the Manchester-born attacker managed only one successful dribble against Los Che.
Mundo Deportivo echoed similar sentiments regarding the intermittent nature of his farewell display.
Lacking consistency in his play, with moments of prominence thanks to his crosses into the box, and too many minutes spent missing.
Football Espana concluded that he was bright at times but ultimately unable to make a meaningful impact in attack.
A productive season overall
Despite the recent criticism, the loanee has largely enjoyed a highly successful stint in Spain.
He scored a spectacular free-kick against Real Madrid two weeks ago to help Barcelona seal the league title.
That decisive strike in El Clasico brought his impressive seasonal tally to 14 goals and 14 assists across all competitions.
Delivering those sporadic flashes of brilliance on a more consistent basis remains the primary challenge as he awaits clarity on his club future.