Hansi Flick confirms Marcus Rashford will not stay at Barcelona
Flick said Barcelona will not exercise the option to sign Rashford after the 2:2 friendly with Birmingham during their England preseason stay.
Barcelona coach Hansi Flick publicly confirmed on August 1, 2026, that Marcus Rashford will not be part of the club’s plans after his loan spell from Manchester United.
The Catalan side are holding a preseason stay in England and played their first friendly in Birmingham on the evening before, drawing 2:2 with the home team. The stadium was reportedly full as Barcelona’s visit attracted large attention, despite the team missing several of its biggest stars.
Abdelkarim shines, Flick settles Rashford's fate
Young Egyptian forward Hamza Abdelkarim scored both goals for Barcelona in the 2:2 draw, but the spotlight after the match fell on Flick’s comments about one of last season’s squad members.
Rashford, who spent last season at Barcelona on loan from Manchester United and impressed during his time at Camp Nou, will not have his loan made permanent, Flick said, adding a personal message to the forward.
Flick said: “It was a real pleasure to work with Marcus Rashford.” He also commented on the difficulty of judging a player’s private mindset: “Sometimes you don't know what's going on with the players and their situation.” Flick described Rashford as “a fantastic player and a fantastic person” and added: “I truly enjoyed working with him. I think the team is going to miss him.”
In separate team news, Georg Stojanovski has been announced as a new signing for Qatari club Lusail.
Photo: press material from the event
