Marcus Rashford chose the perfect moment, with England manager Thomas Tuchel watching, to display his talent with an impressive double for Barcelona against Newcastle United, reminding both the footballing world and Manchester United of his prowess.
The goals, his first since his loan move to the Catalan giants over the summer, concluded an enthralling Champions League match at St James’ Park. They suggest Barcelona fans might be in for something special if the 27-year-old continues this resurgence in form.
Currently, both Manchester United and Aston Villa, where Rashford played on loan last season, could certainly use his contributions, as Villa has yet to net a Premier League goal this season without him.
Rashford smartly headed the ball home after 58 minutes and topped it with a stunning strike from the edge of the area nine minutes later. Although Newcastle responded late with a goal from Anthony Gordon, the Catalans maintained their lead.
Flick said, ‘When the chance to sign Marcus came up, I was adamant: “We have to do it!” I told him, “I want you in my team.” He is an exceptional player and finisher. I’m not surprised by his performance.
Marcus Rashford scored twice to help Barcelona beat Newcastle 2-1 in the Champions League
Rashford second was a breathtaking strike from the edge of the Newcastle penalty area
He had earlier opened his Barcelona account with a fine header on his return to England
‘We see this level in training all the time, and now we saw it in a match. It’s fantastic to have him. These two goals will greatly aid Marcus in reaching new heights. Scoring two goals in England against Newcastle for Barcelona will boost his confidence tremendously.’
Rashford of course was delighted with his haul, saying: ‘It’s going good [in Spain], I am learning a lot as it is a new way of football, but I am enjoying it all and I think it is making me a better player.
‘It’s been an amazing experience. I’ve always been a huge admirer of Barcelona. Most people my age have watched them play from when we were younger.
‘It’s amazing football, amazing players and we just want to win as much as possible. I’m full of excitement. I’m very motivated, determined, I think just the quality that we’ve got in the team, that excites me. It’s refreshing to play with these guys. The team is so young, they play with such confidence, such understanding of the game.
‘Here’s not an easy place to come, especially to play the way that you want to play. I’ve won here a few times and we haven’t necessarily played the way that we wanted to play, but today I think we had a good account of ourselves. We defended well and we walked away with the win.’
On his new coach Flick, Rashford added: ‘He is a top coach, a top man manager. He will be delighted with the three points and the confidence that the team showed. The times we got out we looked like a positive team.’
Rashford’s former Man United team-mates Bruno Fernandes and Jadon Sancho were among those to react to his stunning second goal, sharing posts on social media to acknowledge his strike.
Rashford claimed post-match that he is becoming a better play having moved to Barcelona
In the TNT Sport studio, former Chelsea and England star Joe Cole was impressed with Rashford: ‘It’s great to see him do well. What he does on the pitch is superb. When he is at his best, he can be unstoppable. He’s an England star, he could get into any team in the world and you just want to see him enjoying his football tonight. Brilliant from him.’
Newcastle played well but failed to take some early chances, and boss Eddie Howe said: ‘There was a lot of effort, heart and commitment. I thought we were good without being great. We had two big moments to score in the first half and the game then swings on the moment of the first goal.’
Howe did not start with a striker and rested new boy Nick Woltemade, despite him scoring the winning goal on his debut at the weekend.
‘I just have to try and manage his minutes and make sure he stays fit,’ said Howe, who admits fellow striker Yoane Wissa faces ‘a race against time’ to be fit for after the October international break.
