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Marcus Rashford must stave off sense of anticlimax after Barcelona switch | Jonathan Wilson

Blockbuster loan move brings real pressure for 27-year-old because, if this doesn’t work, what does his future hold?If Anthony Martial hadn’t been injured in the warm-up, and Manchester United hadn’t already been missing 12 players, Marcus Rashford wouldn’t have played. It hadn’t seemed a particularly significant game: the second leg of a round-of-32 Europa League tie against Midtjylland on a chilly and cloudy February night. Old Trafford was far from full, the disillusionment that was beginning to stalk Louis van Gaal escalating after a 2-1 first-leg defeat.It soon got worse for United as Pione Sisto increased Midtjylland’s advantage. An own goal pulled one back but, before half-time, Juan Mata missed a penalty. But Rashford then slammed in a Mata cutback and converted a Guillermo Varela cross with a side-foot volley to give United the lead. They ended up winning 5-1. In the space of 12 second-half minutes, Rashford had been elevated from almost complete unknown to potential messiah, a status he confirmed three days later by scoring two and setting up another in a win over Arsenal. He was 18, Manchester-born, confident but understated. It was almost too perfect. Continue reading...

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