Latest news with #Flick
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Barcelona boss explains why Marcus Rashford was given 'biggest humiliation' on debut
Marcus Rashford has joined his new Barcelona team-mates on their pre-season tour of Asia and the Manchester United loanee made his first appearance against Japanese side Vissel Kobe They say it is the biggest humiliation a footballer can experience: being a substitute that, after getting on the pitch, is then subbed off. So why did Hansi Flick bring on Marcus Rashford for 30 minutes on his Barcelona debut - and then take him off again? Rashford, 27, appeared for the first since completing his season-long loan move from Manchester United in midweek, ending his exile at Old Trafford. The forward's transfer - which includes a £26million option to buy - was finalised in time for him to fly to Japan with the rest of Barca's squad, as they embark on a pre-season tour of Asia. First up was a clash with Japanese side Vissel Kobe in a friendly match which was initially suspended before organisers scrambled to make it happen. Rashford was named on the bench by Flick before the German changed his entire line-up at half-time. The United loanee showed promise during his 30-minute cameo, notably playing a crucial role when fellow new signing Roony Bardghji got on the scoresheet in Barcelona's 3-1 win. After defender Jofre Torrents won back possession on the left, Rashford collected the ball and played a perfectly-weighted pass through to Robert Lewandowski. Barca's No.9 then picked out Bardghji on the right, as the former Copenhagen hotshot produced an impressive first-time finish. Seconds later, Rashford was brought off. The England international and Torrents were replaced by Gerard Martin and Pedro Fernandez, scorer of Barcelona's third goal, in the 77th minute. Post-match, Flick was asked about his decision to haul both Rashford and Torrents off after half an hour each. "Rashford hasn't played that much, and we also wanted to give Gerard Martin 15 minutes because he was playing after his injury," the Barcelona manager explained. Which, obviously, makes perfect sense for a player who, just seven days ago, was a member of Manchester United's 'bomb squad' training alone and made to use the club's Carrington training ground when the first-team squad had gone home. For Flick, these early days are about getting Rashford up to speed, slowly but surely, helping him adjust to what he wants. Do it correctly, and it's another match winner among Barca's collection of stars. Subbing him on and then off in a pre-season friendly? Not a problem for the manager nor his new player. Flick was a 'key' reason why Rashford joined the La Liga champions, having led Barcelona to three trophies in his first season. "He was another key factor for me to join Barca," the 27-year-old revealed during his unveiling. "The conversations I had with him were very positive. He has proven to be one of the top coaches... He led a young team to such a successful season and has returned to the preseason wanting more." Rashford's team-mates are already looking forward to playing alongside him. "Rashford is a very talented player," Lewandowski told reporters in Japan. "We played Manchester United two years ago and he was in great form. He can help us and is able to play in different positions." Next up for Barca is a friendly against Seoul in the South Korean capital on Thursday. Rashford will have a reunion with ex-United team-mate Jesse Lingard, who captains the K-League giants.
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
'Flick's Handbook': Barcelona Head Coach Imposes New 'Lifestyle Rules' For Players
Last Updated: Flick has introduced a rule focusing on players' lifestyles after widespread criticism of Lamine Yamal's 18th birthday party, with the German taking a stricter view on partying. Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick, who is known to be a strict disciplinarian, has added a new rule to his existing handbook for the Blaugrana players to follow as the German has taken a stricter view on partying after widespread criticism of teenager Lamine Yamal's extravagant birthday party did the rounds recently. Flick's 10 Rules for Players When Flick arrived at Barcelona, he introduced 10 rules to raise professionalism in the squad. Players must arrive 90 minutes before training and undergo daily weight checks. Everyone must eat in the team canteen, and on matchdays, the squad takes part in morning warm-ups before meeting at the team hotel. Late-night flights after evening games are banned, with players staying overnight instead. Flick also demands 90-minute intense training sessions, often keeping players at the training ground for five hours a day. Rest days between games are reduced to prioritise training. The German coach replaced fines with personal motivation and keeps a professional rather than a friendly relationship with players. According to Spanish outlet Sport, Flick has now introduced an 11th rule focused on players' lifestyles. After criticism of youngster Lamine Yamal's 18th birthday party, Flick will take a stricter view on partying and off-field distractions. He wants players to show more discretion in their social activities and focus fully on football. Christmas parties will be minimised, and Flick will monitor commercial work that could disrupt first-team schedules. Rashford's Past Issues Marcus Rashford has completed a season-long loan move from Manchester United to Barcelona. The 27-year-old forward called the transfer a 'dream move" and wished United well for the upcoming Premier League season. Rashford had fallen out of favour under new United boss Ruben Amorim and spent the previous season on loan at Aston Villa. Now, Rashford will play under Barcelona manager Flick, who led the club to the La Liga title in his first season in charge. The English star may be in for a culture shock as Flick is known for his strict rules and high standards. Rashford has faced criticism in England for his off-field activities. In 2023, he apologised to then-United boss Erik ten Hag after holding a birthday party hours after a 3-0 loss to Manchester City. In 2024, he was reported to have gone out in Belfast before missing training ahead of an FA Cup match. Rashford's move to Barcelona comes with a clear message: focus on football first. With Flick's strict rules, Rashford's life in Spain is set to be very different from that in England. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Marcus Rashford immediately given strict new Barcelona dressing room rule to follow
Marcus Rashford was all smiles in his introduction as a new Barcelona player but the England star will have to abide by Hansi Flick's newest strict rule at the Spanish club Marcus Rashford is expected to curb nightlife proclivities after Hansi Flick demanded his Barcelona side keep their partying activities to a minimum. The 27-year-old officially joined the La Liga champions on loan from Manchester United on Wednesday in his first foray into football outside of the UK. Describing the move as a "dream come true", Rashford was handed the number 14 shirt, the same number Arsenal icon Thierry Henry wore during his trophy-laden spell in Catalonia over 15 years ago. While the Englishman will be keen to get his career back on track after a troublesome couple of years at his boyhood club, he'll have to do so while abiding by Flick's stringent rules that he's established at Barcelona. The Spanish giants enjoyed a hugely successful campaign last season, where they won the domestic treble consisting of the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. It may not be a coincidence that the abundance of silverware came after Flick's implementation of 10 strict rules, according to Spanish publication AS. There's since been one more rule added to the German's manager's list and that's to limit the amount of parties his players attend, reports Sport. Given the controversy Lamine Yamal found himself in after it was claimed entertainers with dwarfism had attended his lavish 18th birthday celebration, Flick is keen to avoid the added spotlight on his squad. While it's reported Flick hasn't banned players altogether from enjoying nights out on the town, he's said to have requested his players to have more discretion when doing so while having a greater focus on their footballing responsibilities. Avoiding cameras and attention in the newspapers is of paramount importance for Flick who aims to mount a strong title defence as well as bringing the Champions League trophy back to Barcelona for the first time since 2015. During his announcement as Barca's latest signing, Rashford explained why he chose to move to Spain as he said: "I'm very excited. It's a club where people's dreams come true. They win big prizes and what the clubs stands for really means a lot to me. "It feels like I'm at home and this is a big factor in my choice to come here, because it's a family club, people are comfortable here and it's a good place for players to showcase their skills. I want to say thank you for the warm welcome. It's a different environment for me but it feels like home. "I'm full of excitement and hunger to go out and help this club win. They won so much last year and I can see the ambition is to do better than last year and that is what you want to hear as a player. "It keeps you improving year on year and that's what you need to be - the best version of yourself. So I'm very excited to be here, eager to get the games going and I'm enjoying every minute of it." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
United News of India
5 days ago
- Business
- United News of India
Barcelona cancels pre-season trip to Japan at short notice
Madrid, July 24 (UNI) FC Barcelona's pre-season plans are in ruins after the club was forced to cancel its visit to Japan at short notice due to a contractual problem with the tour organizers. The Barca squad was due to fly to Japan on Thursday morning ahead of a game against Vissel Kobe on Sunday, before travelling to South Korea to face Seoul FC and Daegu FC. However, the Japanese leg of the tour has now been cancelled and the South Korean part is in the balance. "FC Barcelona announces that it has been forced to suspend its participation in the match scheduled for next Sunday in Japan due to a serious breach of contract by the promoter. However, the Club will consider readjusting the South Korean portion of the summer certain conditions are met by the promoter," explained the club in a statement. The cancellation of at least part of the tour is a blow to Barcelona's economy, with the cash-strapped club due to receive an important injection of around 15 million euros for playing the games, but it is also a sporting blow as Hansi Flick's side will have to look for new rivals at short notice as Flick looks to prepare for the new La Liga season. Barca's only other pre-season game that is currently scheduled is against Como on August 10, before the new La Liga campaign starts in Mallorca on August 16. UNI XINHUA RKM
Metro
6 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
Marcus Rashford's first words as a Barcelona player as club reveal squad number
Marcus Rashford says he is 'eager to get going' at Barcelona and already feels at 'home' after joining the club on a season-long loan from Manchester United. Barca brought weeks of speculation to an end this evening as it was officially confirmed that Rashford had put pen to paper on a 12-month deal at the Camp Nou. The temporary agreement includes an option for Barca to sign Rashford outright at the end of the 2025/26 campaign for a fee in the region of £30million. Taking over over the No.14 shirt, Rashford becomes only the second Englishman to play for Barca in the past 100 years, following in the footsteps of the great Gary Lineker. Rashford trained for the first time with Hansi Flick's squad earlier on Tuesday and is set to travel with his new team-mates on the club's pre–season tour of Asia on Thursday. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. The England international, a product of United's academy, will hope to pick up where he left off after enjoying an impressive loan spell with Aston Villa last season, in which he racked up four goals and six assists in 17 appearances. 'I'm very excited,' Rashford told Barcelona's media team upon his arrival in Catalonia. 'I think it is a club where dreams come true. They win big prizes and what the club stands for really means a lot to me as well. 'It feels like I'm at home and this is a big factor in my choice to come here. 'For me, it's a family club, people are comfortable here and it's a good place for good players to showcase their skills.' Asked what fans should expect from him over the coming months, Rashford replied: 'I always try to make decisive actions, fast, dynamic plays, and I always like good football. 'I've always been a fan of watching Barcelona play from a young age, like most football fans. 'It's going to be a joy for me to play here and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.' Rashford is raring to get started in Barca's colours and hopes to be able to add a new dimension to Flick's squad, which finished last season with three pieces of silverware. 'I'm full of excitement and just hunger to go out and try to help this team win,' he added. 'They won so much last year and I can see the ambition of the club is to do better than last year. 'For a player, that's what you want to hear because it keeps you improving year on year and that's what you need to be the best version of yourself. 'I'm eager to get going, get the games playing, but I'm enjoying every minute of it.' Barca head coach Flick held several private conversations with Rashford before a deal was agreed, which proved a 'key factor' in convincing the winger to join. 'He's another key factor and reason I'm here. The conversations that I had with him were very positive,' Rashford explained. 'What he did last year, it was a terrific season. But not just last year, in his career he has proven that he's one of the top coaches. 'To lead such a young team to a very successful season and then to come back to pre-season and want to do more… it showed me everything that I thought I knew about the club. 'Now to be here, it's everything that I wished and thought so I'm, eager to get going and keep learning the Barcelona way as I go.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Gary Lineker makes Marcus Rashford prediction after Man Utd forward joins Barcelona MORE: Jose Mourinho dismisses Chelsea win at Club World Cup MORE: Chelsea drop asking price by £22m for Manchester United to sign Christopher Nkunku
