Claims of Barcelona wanting to cut short Rashford loan dismissed

Guillem Balague has dismissed reports that Barcelona are considering ending Marcus Rashford’s loan spell prematurely and sending him back to Manchester United.

Speculation had mounted after Spanish outlet El Nacional claimed the La Liga champions were unimpressed with the England forward’s performances and were weighing up an early termination that could cost the club around £4 million.

Recall Rashford has made just three league appearances under Hansi Flick, starting once before being substituted at half-time against Levante.

However, renowned journalist Balague, has labelled the reports “absolutely rubbish” and insisted Barcelona remain supportive of the player.

“Barca told his representative that they have a lot of confidence in Rashford’s potential and that they believe he will recover as a top player.

“No more to say, apart from the fact I agree with Gary Lineker and his treatment by some media,” Balague wrote on social media.

Rashford joined Barcelona in the summer after falling out of favour at Manchester United, where new manager Ruben Amorim relegated him to the ‘bomb squad’.