Jamie Carragher delivers candid opinion on Marcus Rashford's chances of starting for Barcelona

Former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher has given his thoughts on the possibility of Marcus Rashford claiming a regular starting spot at Barcelona this season. The England winger scored a brace for La Blaugrana to help them defeat Newcastle United in their UEFA Champions League opener on Thursday.

Rashford started for Barcelona for a second game running, and the Spanish giants remained without Lamine Yamal due to injury. The 27-year-old showcased his potential to manager Hansi Flick, with two fantastic goals in the second half, leading his side to a 2-1 win.

Speaking on CBS Sports, Carragher said that he believes Rashford will find it hard to find a place in the starting XI. He said that the English winger needs to put on performances like this one whenever he gets an opportunity to start, in order to improve his chances of starting games.

"I think it'll be tough, the 2 wide players at Barcelona are in line for the Ballon d'Or off their performances last season. They've got him on loan, they're probably paying majority of his wages but he has to put in performances like that to give himself a real opportunity to be big part of what could be an amazing season for Barcelona. He's played for a giant(Manchester United), but he hasn't won giant trophies, this gives him the opportunity to now do that", he said.

Barcelona signed Marcus Rashford after failing to get Nico Williams and Luis Diaz this summer. Rashford had spent the second half of the 2024-25 season on loan at Aston Villa after Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim decided to cut him loose.

Rashford produced an amazing assist against Valencia at the weekend before scoring his brace against Newcastle United. The forward has shown his worth to Flick, and will be waiting for another opportunity to start a match.

Lamine Yamal to return soon

Barcelona star winger Lamine Yamal is closing in on a return to action, as he has stepped up his recovery, as per reports. The 18-year-old player is out of action with a problem in his pubic region, causing him to miss their last two matches.

SPORT reports that Yamal is aiming to return to action for his club's clash against Real Oviedo on September 25 or the Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) a week later.