BARCELONA coach Hansi Flick has pledged to push on-loan Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford to reach higher levels at the club.
The England international scored his first two goals for Barcelona in their 2-1 Champions League victory at Newcastle on Thursday.
Rashford fell out of favour at Manchester United last season under coach Ruben Amorim, who publicly questioned his commitment and desire.
Flick expressed his total belief in Rashford’s quality while emphasising the need for continuous hard work and daily improvement.
The Barcelona coach confirmed he would both push and support the 27-year-old forward to understand what the team requires from him.
Barcelona face Getafe in La Liga on Sunday without injured winger Lamine Yamal, making Rashford likely to start again.
Flick adopted a day-by-day approach regarding Yamal’s recovery while suggesting the 18-year-old would not win this year’s Ballon d’Or.
The coach confirmed Barcelona would attend Monday’s ceremony in Paris despite Real Madrid’s boycott last season after learning Vinicius Junior would not win.
Yamal remains among the Ballon d’Or contenders although former Barcelona winger and Paris Saint-Germain star Ousmane Dembele is the favourite.
Flick expressed confidence that Yamal would eventually win the trophy while emphasising the importance of showing respect to all nominees and winners.
The Barcelona coach stated he simply wants to enjoy the ceremony and show proper respect to those receiving awards. – AFP
