What should Barcelona expect from Marcus Rashford this season? Ex-Man United star could provide crucial depth

Barcelona's preseason has been in full swing with Hansi Flick's men already netting 10 goals in two matches, but they've also conceded four goals. Despite all those goals, one player who has yet to get involved is one of the newest members of the squad, Marcus Rashford.

The Englishman could have an important role under Flick this season after joining Barcelona from Manchester United on loan, but this preseason is critical in showing what he can do. Only 27, Rashford's best isn't behind him despite struggling for the past few seasons with United. It showed during his loan spell with Aston Villa during the second half of the Premier League campaign.

In all competitions with Villa, Rashford scored four goals and assisted six more in 17 appearances. That's a small sample size, but it's one that would help Barcelona. It even saw Rashford called back into the England squad for World Cup qualification, giving him something to work toward while at Barcelona. He'll also need to compete to even be in Flick's plans, but competition can bring success, as Raphinha notes.

"When you play with this jersey, with this club, you need to be prepared for all the competition that there is," Raphinha said to SPORT. "In my opinion, the more competition we have, the better. It means that one helps the other progress, and that is the most important thing if we want to win titles."

That competition helped Ferran Torres to improve and succeed filling in for Robert Lewandowski when he went down during Champions League play, and that's something that can be replicated with Rashford. Barcelona may not have fallen short due to their attack last season, but that doesn't mean that scoring more goals is a bad thing. Rashford can fit in on both wings and as a nine, helping Flick continue to build his versatile system where defenses never know where the Barcelona attackers will be.

Of course, if Rashford is going to be involved in that, familiarizing himself with the squad will be important. Goals during preseason can go a long way to raising confidence for the La Liga season, when the pressure will be on for Barcelona to maintain their crown. Real Madrid will have things to work through as Xabi Alonso begins his first season with the club, and Atletico Madrid haven't shown an ability to stick in the title race after January during recent seasons. If Rashford hits the ground running, Barcelona will be tough to stop.

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