Barcelona president Joan Laporta warned that Marcus Rashford would be the last marquee arrival of the summer while the club focuses on thinning a squad with “too many players”. Rashford managed to extract himself from the Manchester United meat-grinder to secure a loan move to Barcelona this month,

For now, Rashford is only allowed to play in non-competitive games. That includes the Joan Gamper Trophy clash against Como, and preseason tours in Japan and South Korea. But once the La Liga season kicks off on August 16 at Real Mallorca, Rashford’s involvement depends entirely on Barca’s ability to balance the books.

It was on Sunday when Rashford made his first appearance for Barcelona with a 33-minute cameo against Vissel Kobe in a pre-season friendly. Rashford completed the move to Barca after informing United of his desire to leave the club earlier in the summer.