'You know the rules' - Marcus Rashford 'self-sabotage' leaves ex-Premier League rival disappointed

Troy Deeney doesn’t have much sympathy for Marcus Rashford’s Barcelona transgression.

The England winger was dropped a match on from his stunning two-goal display against Newcastle, having turned up late to training.

Manager Hansi Flick has an incredibly strict approach to late shows, and has dropped many of the team’s most important players, including Raphinha.

However, with Rashford on a season-long loan from Manchester United and desperate to impress, Deeney doesn’t see this slip-up as forgivable.

The talkSPORT host explained: "I was one to give him so much credit after this because I am quite harsh on Marcus.

“But, you know when someone keeps showing you who they are, you start to believe them.

“He keeps doing this, where he gets to a high and he self-sabotages. Every time.

“You know the rules, you know what you're supposed to do at Barcelona."

Not the first time Rashford has been late

Rashford was similarly late to a team meeting while at United at the start of 2024 and dropped for an FA Cup win over Newport County.

The forward had been pictured partying in Belfast the night before, and later admitted he was punished for ‘oversleeping’.

Refusing to go into detail on the matter, then-manager Erik ten Hag said: "Internal discipline. No details. Our rules. Now focus on the game.

“He is in very good shape and nobody can play every game."

The decision was praised by many, including club great Rio Ferdinand, and Rashford then returned to the line-up the following match to score during a win against Wolves.

Ten Hag’s replacement, Ruben Amorim, would go on to give Rashford similar treatment, first sending him out on loan to Aston Villa.

Amorim then excluded Rashford from his squad at the end of the 2024/25 season, forcing the 27-year-old to find a new club.

The 64-time England international landed his dream move in Barcelona, but will have to make sure he doesn’t step out of line again if the Spanish giants are to activate a £27million purchase option in his loan deal.

However, as talkSPORT European football expert Andy Brassell explained, this may not be as big of a deal in Spain as it’s become in England.

“The initial instinct for a lot of people will be ‘I can’t believe he’s done this, he's shot himself in the foot’ but Hansi Flick has always been consistent,” Brassell explained.

“Other big players have been dropped for this in the past, Jules Kounde and Raphinha have been dropped from the XI for being late for a team meeting.

“Flick won’t hold this against Rashford, but it has given someone else the opportunity to take his place in the team.”

More problems for Rashford at Barcelona

Despite being dropped for the 3-0 win over Getafe, Rashford did make an appearance at the start of the second half.

However, as Brassell points out, he may now have gone from his St. James’ Park high to worrying about the competition.

Ferran Torres made his way back into the team thanks to Rashford’s omission, and has now staked his own claim to start just when it looked like his English teammate might be able to nail down a spot in the line up.

Brassell explained: “Torres came back in, played brilliantly and scored two goals, it makes you think, ‘yeah he’s [Rashford’s] missed a trick here’.

“The hierarchy is Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal when he comes back from injury.

“It’s been a great opportunity for Rashford [Yamal’s injury] and the way he played against Newcastle underlined that even though the club didn’t think he could be a back-up for Lewandowski, maybe he can be.

“But then Ferran is a really good centre forward and Barcelona are slick when he plays and that underlines what the issue is.”

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