"I like his conditions and his way of playing" - Alejandro Balde names Manchester United superstar as the player he’d most like to be Spanish
Barcelona defender Alejandro Balde has named Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford as the English player he would most like to have been Spanish.
Balde, 19, was speaking to ESPN when he expressed his admiration for Rashford. The Spanish full-back selected the Red Devils forward as the England international he would have switch to La Roja nationality:
“One English player that i’d like to be Spanish would be Marcus Rashford because he is a player who i like his conditions & his way of playing.”
Rashford enjoyed a phenomenal last season that saw him bag 30 goals and 11 assists in 56 games across competitions. That included a goal and assist against Balde's Barca in the UEFA Europa League.
The 25-year-old was similarly in superb form for his country lsat year and impressed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He scored three goals in five World Cup games, but England crashed out in the quarterfinals.
There's no chance that Balde could be joined in the Spain team by Rashford ,and now there's little chance of that happening at club level, too. Manchester United have sealed Rashford's long-term future at Old Trafford after he signed a new five-year deal.
Barcelona manager Xavi lauded Manchester United's Marcus Rashford
Rashford came in for high praise from Barcelona manager Xavi when the two sides met in the Europa League knockout playoff. The Spanish tactician branded the in-form attacker as one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe (via Sky Sports):
"In the transition he is very, very dangerous."
Xavi added:
"He's one of the most dangerous players now in Europe, yeah. He's very fast, he has a very good at dribbling in one-versus-one."
The Manchester United frontman lived up to that mantra with a brilliant equalizer in the first leg at Camp Nou. He was also instrumental in putting the Red Devils in the lead through Jules Kounde's own goal.
Rashford was perhaps the star of the show across both legs between two European giants whose teams also consist of Robert Lewandowski and Bruno Fernandes. His first-leg performance particularly caught the eye and proved Xavi's assessment correct.
Rashford was key throughout Manchester United's 2022-23 campaign and also netted in their 2-0 win against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final. He has now bagged 123 goals and 68 assists in 359 games during his time at Old Trafford.