Following his high-profile loan move from Manchester United, Marcus Rashford made his unofficial Barcelona debut on Sunday, featuring in the second half of the club’s 3-1 pre-season victory over Vissel Kobe in Japan.
The England international was introduced as part of an entirely new eleven at halftime and produced a “bright” and “lively” cameo on the left wing. He showed glimpses of the quality that Barcelona hope he will bring to their frontline this season.
It was a performance of “nearly moments” for the new number 14. Rashford showcased his technical skill with a superb first touch to control a long switch of play from Marc Casadó and nearly created a clear goalscoring chance for Robert Lewandowski with a slide-rule pass. He also had an opportunity to score himself but couldn’t connect cleanly with his first-time effort.
Crucially, however, Rashford played a decisive role in what proved to be the winning goal, scored by fellow debutant Roony Bardghji. He initiated the move by smartly cutting inside from the wing before threading a “pinpoint pass” to Lewandowski, who then teed up the young Swede to score.
After his key contribution, manager Hansi Flick withdrew him for the final 15 minutes of the match, carefully managing his minutes as he builds his fitness.
While his on-pitch debut was promising, Barcelona still faces the challenge of officially registering him for the La Liga season due to their financial situation. Rashford will get more chances to impress on the tour, with his next likely appearance coming on Thursday against FC Seoul in South Korea.