Marcus Rashford’s Manchester United career went off track before his move to Barcelona, and one of his current team-mates has pinpointed where he believes things went wrong

Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski has suggested that Manchester United failed Marcus Rashford after the England international saw his Old Trafford career drift off course. The 28‑year‑old struggled to enjoy his football under Ruben Amorim before eventually falling out with the Portuguese coach.

His United career appeared to be over when Amorim claimed he would rather put his 63‑year‑old goalkeeping coach on the bench, citing what he saw as a lack of effort from Rashford. The forward has not played for United since December 2024 and even lost his No.10 shirt to Matheus Cunha over the summer.

After joining Aston Villa in the second half of last season, Rashford showed flashes of his quality before moving to Barcelona in February, where he has flourished and rediscovered his best form. In Catalonia, he has won over the Barca supporters, producing 10 goals and claiming 13 assists in 36 appearances so far.

However, his Barca team-mate Lewandowski, who sits next to the England international in the dressing room, believes United let him down by failing to stand by him.

“Marcus is the guy, if you give him confidence and he sees that you believe in him, he can give you back 200 per cent,” the Poland international told Sky Sports.

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“He’s a very nice guy. We spoke because we are sitting in the dressing room beside [each other]. We also play ping-pong.

“I see that this guy is very kind, very nice guy but also because of this he needs someone standing behind him. If he does have this confidence he can really play his best football and on the best level.

“He has huge potential. He has everything. He has speed, he has technique, he has a shot, he has left foot, right foot, skills.”

Barca have the option to make his move permanent for £26million, though reports in Spain suggest the club are keen to bring that fee down.

While Rashford has made it clear he wants to join Barca permanently in the summer, manager Hansi Flick admitted last month that the forward’s long‑term future with the club remains uncertain.

“[Sporting director] Deco and I always speak about our team and what we can do,” the German said when quizzed about Rashford.

“Marcus’ performances have been really good until now, but we have to manage it. It’s Deco’s job and the club’s job to work on next season, so we have to wait.

“We still have plenty more time, there are many months, many days, many weeks ahead of us, and that’s how it is.”