Marcus Rashford is flourishing during his loan spell at Barcelona following his fall from grace at Manchester United. The England striker secured a season-long temporary switch to the La Liga heavyweights in the summer transfer window. Rashford’s future at Old Trafford looked bleak when Ruben Amorim suggested he would sooner select his 63-year-old goalkeeping coach on the substitutes’ bench than the attacker due to what he perceived as insufficient commitment.

Having demonstrated glimpses of his ability during the latter stages of last campaign whilst on loan at Aston Villa, Rashford has shone for the Catalan outfit. He has netted five goals in 13 outings across all competitions, whilst also providing seven assists, though he was unable to prevent Barcelona from suffering a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in Sunday’s El Clasico.

Nevertheless, Rashford’s dedication has remained unwavering, even during a brief visit back to Manchester this week. Posting on Instagram, the 27-year-old shared multiple clips of himself training at The Performance Space gymnasium in Salford.

The striker wrote alongside the footage: “Marginal gains 48 hours back home.”

During a recent discussion with Barcelona’s YouTube channel, Rashford disclosed he’s thoroughly enjoying his Spanish adventure. He said: “I’m really enjoying my time in Spain. The weather is the best part. It’s a very big change. I’m learning every day, I’m really enjoying it.

“I hope to be here for a long time. I get along really well with Roony (Bardghji), as well as Jules (Kounde) and Frenkie (De Jong). It’s a team where we all blend together. We’re united.

“The team is fantastic. I just have to be in the right position. I’ll keep trying to do this. We have to keep going like this to be our best. We have a lot more to do this season.”

He then added: “I’m enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game so to play here is an honour.

“I just believe that things happen when they’re supposed to happen. It’s not the first time I spoke with Barcelona about potentially coming here, but for whatever reasons it didn’t happen in the past, and now is my opportunity to make it happen.

“I feel like there’s no time like the present now. People forget this, but 23 years of my life was with Manchester United. So sometimes you just need a change.

“I think maybe this is the case with me and yeah, I’m enjoying everything. I don’t feel there is much change in me, I just feel it’s a new environment and culture and one I looked forward to coming here. It’s just about me adapting and fitting in as well as possible. I’m so hungry to keep improving.”