3 weeks ago
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Marcus Rashford has been cautioned that he must improve his work ethic if he's to succeed at Barcelona.
The Manchester United forward is on the brink of completing a season-long loan switch to the La Liga team, representing his second successive temporary departure from Old Trafford following his spell at Aston Villa during the latter half of last campaign.
Barcelona became a potential destination for him last year when he disclosed in late 2024 his appetite for a new challenge away from his boyhood club. And the Spanish club has remained his preferred destination ever since. Rashford, who touched down in Barcelona on Sunday, is poised to become the first Englishman to wear the Blaugrana jersey since Gary Lineker arrived in 1986.
As he gears up for his transfer, Chelsea star Marc Cucurella, a graduate of Barcelona's renowned La Masia academy, has provided some wise counsel.
The 27-year-old emphasised the marked tempo difference between La Liga and the Premier League and expects Rashford will need to adjust to the shift.
The Spanish international has urged Rashford to elevate his work rate and mentality to flourish at the Catalan club, who reportedly possess an option to buy him after his loan period.
In a chat with Jijantes FC, Cucurella said, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News: "He's very fast and will notice the difference in pace between the leagues.
"He's not used to that league, and I think he'll [need to] do quite a bit of work because he'll notice that difference."
Rashford's attitude on the pitch has previously attracted criticism, particularly from United boss Ruben Amorim. He highlighted poor work rate as the reason behind his exclusion from the squad for last December's Manchester derby.
After that incident, Rashford failed to feature again for United, and during his extended absence from the first team, Amorim delivered a damning assessment about the need for players to show total dedication.
The 40-year-old admitted he would rather field his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach than a player not showing complete commitment.
"If you do the maximum and do the right things, we can use every player," Amorim declared at the time.
"And you can see today on the bench, we missed a bit of pace to go, to change the game. I will put [Jorge] Vital [on the pitch] before I put a player that does not give the maximum. I will not change in that department."
With Rashford's exit from Old Trafford expected to be completed imminently, Amorim has already brought in attacking reinforcements through Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, with the latter finalizing his switch from Brentford on Monday.
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