Aston Villa legend Gabby Agbonlahor is backing Marcus Rashford to make the World Cup squad subsequent 12 months after becoming a member of Barcelona on mortgage.
The England worldwide accomplished a season-long mortgage transfer to the LaLiga giants on Wednesday afternoon from Manchester United.
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talkSPORT understands that Rashford, who spent the second half of the 2024/25 season on mortgage at Villa Park, has agreed an enormous pay-cut to make the deal occur.
The 27-year-old is ready to earn round £8.6million whereas in Spain, which is down from the £16.9m he would earn at Previous Trafford.
Although Barcelona will cowl all of his wages, relieving United on that entrance.
Ought to the transfer go properly, Barcelona have a £26m possibility to purchase, and Agbonlahor thinks the ahead can reinvent himself in Spain to see him compete on the 2026 World Cup, having been omitted from their Euro 2024 squad.
Talking on talkSPORT Drive with co-host Ade Oladipo, Agbonlahor was requested if he thought Rashford can be a hit in Catalonia.
To which he mentioned: “I believe he’ll. I believe he’s going to must work onerous, and he will must do all the pieces the supervisor desires him to do.
“He is bought to reside for Barcelona. He is bought to immerse himself in all the pieces, and take the proper folks with you.
“Do not take too many individuals with you. Exit for meals when you can with the gamers. Go round to gamers’ homes, and go for dinner within the evenings.
“Folks will say, and I agree, that he’s fairly fortunate to get this transfer.
“Now you have bought it, go and get your self signed subsequent summer time for £30m.”
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Oladipo then said: “You’ve got hit the nail on the pinnacle. He must be pondering, ‘I would like to remain right here long run.
“‘I’ve to point out Hansi Flick what I can do, and I am unable to be snobbish about coming off the bench.'”
Agbonlahor the insisted that Rashford should first settle for his function within the workforce the place he could also be used an possibility from the dugout.
He remarked: “For the primary 15 video games of the season, you are going to be off the bench.
“At Aston Villa, he wasn’t a assured starter. He needed to earn to get into the facet, by no means thoughts Barcelona.
“He is bought to go there and take heed to his teammates, and he is bought to attain targets as a result of the Spanish press will likely be on him.”
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Rashford is the primary Englishman since Gary Lineker in 1986 to play for the LaLiga giants.
He’ll now compete with Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Robert Lewandowski to be within the entrance three.
Yamal is a participant that Rashford has publicly praised previously, so it will likely be fascinating to see how they do collectively.
When it comes to his United future, it seems to be bleak regardless of the very fact he signed a brand new long-term deal in July 2023.
Ruben Amorim has determined that Rashford has no place in his squad, and after a brief mortgage at Aston Villa, he’s at one of many largest golf equipment on this planet.
And regardless of some doubting the transfer, Agbonlahor is backing Rashford to get a spot in Thomas Tuchel’s England facet.
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He mentioned: “I’m comfortable for him. I image him doing very properly and being on that airplane [to the World Cup].”
Rashford made his first England look since March 2024 earlier this 12 months, displaying that Tuchel clearly has him in his plans if he can ship for his new membership.
The ahead has constantly performed properly for his nation, the place he scored three targets on the 2022 World Cup.
It’s now as much as him to show what he can do at Barcelona and get again into the England workforce constantly.
And judging from his first phrases, he is aware of that as properly.
Talking at his switch unveiling, he mentioned: “I am very excited. It is a membership the place folks’s goals come true, they win large prizes.
“What the membership stands for means quite a bit for me. I really feel like I am at residence and a giant consider my selection to return right here is as a result of it’s a household place and an excellent place for good gamers to showcase their abilities.
“One other issue is as a result of the conversations I had with [Hansi Flick] have been optimistic. What he did final season was terrific.
“To steer such a younger workforce to a really profitable season and are available again to pre-season and nonetheless need to do extra, it exhibits me all the pieces I believed I knew concerning the membership and it is all the pieces I needed.
“I am desperate to be taught the Barcelona means.”