1 week ago
4
Marcus Rashford scored twice for Barcelona in quick succession to announce his return to English soil against Newcastle after his loan move away from Manchester United this summer.
The England international is looking to enjoy a return to his superlative form at his new club - and is already off to the races in Europe's top competition.
Starting for his new side against the Magpies, Rashford wasted no time reminding St James' Park of his talents, breaking the deadlock shortly after half-time with a towering header.
Rashford's second - scored just nine minutes later - was a feast for the eyes, with the 27-year-old letting fly a curling shot from the edge of the box to outsmart Nick Pope.
The quickfire brace on Tyneside comes after a slightly more muted start in Catalonia for the forward.
After a good-looking pre-season, Rashford had only mustered an assist for Barca thus far this season.
Marcus Rashford struck a sensational second goal to add to his superlative brace against Newcastle on Thursday
The 27-year-old had previously got on the scoresheet with a header just nine minutes earlier
But his efforts against Eddie Howe's side have put Barcelona some way ahead of their English rivals, marking a personal landmark for Rashford too as he netted his first Champions League goal since October 2021.
Rashford sought a move away this summer after relations quickly broke down between the academy graduate and head coach Ruben Amorim.
Despite seeking a fresh start under the incoming manager last November, Rashford failed to click with a Portuguese head coach, and by January, had organised a loan move to Aston Villa.
After a promising half-season at Man United's Premier League rivals, Rashford was one of a number of players - including Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho - who were informed that they were not part of Amorim's plans for the next campaign.
Since moving to Barcelona, Rashford has also played his way back into the England squad, with Thomas Tuchel calling up the player for the most recent spate of World Cup qualifiers.
Rashford went on to score in England's 5-0 rout of Serbia, netting a penalty.
The Barca newbie was later handed the Man of the Match award after the final whistle, which saw the visitors finish the 2-1 winners on the night.
At full-time, Rashford said of the second goal: 'It was just a split second, where I felt there was a gap.
Rashford was duly handed the Man of the Match trophy after a standout performance
I could see the far post out of the corner of my eye, so I just thought, just try and get a shot off. Obviously, the defensive lad in front was trying to block it, so I thought I would try and lift it a bit.
'Also when you're going away from the goal, it's difficult with the power to keep it low, so I thought, aim high, and it'll take the 'keeper some doing to stop it.
'I'm full of excitement. Very motivated, determined, I think the quality we've got in this team, that excites me alone. The quality of these guys, I've said it before, I admire it, the team is so young, they play with such confidence and understanding.
'I've won here a few times where we've not played the way we've wanted to play,' Rashford added, but stressed this was not the case under Hansi Flick.
