FEATURE | Rashford and Greenwood: The dream team to unlock Barcelona’s potential?

Barcelona’s plan to reunite former Manchester United stars Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood in Spain triggered plenty of debate on social media.

Greenwood had a well-documented fall from grace at Old Trafford, but he has subsequently become one of the leading lights for Marseille in Ligue 1 . He scored 22 goals and six assists in 36 appearances last term and has added another seven goals and four assists in ten outings this season.

Barcelona scouts reportedly watched Greenwood become the first Marseille player since Jean-Pierre Papin in 1991 to score four goals in a Ligue 1 game over the weekend. His efforts helped Marseille record an impressive 6-2 home victory over Le Havre, a result which moved them ahead of Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the table.

Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi was delighted with Greenwood’s performance, but believes there is still more to come from him over the next few years.

“It’s true that Mason can do more, not just in terms of goals scored because in that area he doesn’t need to do better,” De Zerbi said .

“He’s already a top player in front of goal, but he can become one of the best players in the world, because he has the ability.

“He can improve in helping the team when it needs it, when it’s necessary. But I want to protect Mason from criticism – he’s always scored a lot of goals and never missed a training session. But he still has room for improvement.

“If he wants to become a great player, he must run off the ball. I saw (Kylian) Mbappe, I saw (Ousmane) Dembele pressing without the ball, and Greenwood has to do it too.

“He has worked on pressing, but not always. When he wants to, he does it, and he must understand that this effort is what separates the greats.”

If Greenwood continues to produce the same level of performances for the rest of the season, speculation about a move elsewhere will naturally increase.

The prospect of reuniting with Rashford at Barcelona is intriguing, particularly given the wealth of attacking talent they have at their disposal. However, with Robert Lewandowski likely to leave next summer, it is understandable why Barcelona are considering other options.

Greenwood may appear to be an unlikely target given that he operates in the same position as Lamine Yamal, but he is versatile enough to be deployed elsewhere.

One of the highest-scoring teenagers in the Premier League in the early part of his career, Greenwood’s ability to weigh in with goals and assists has never been in doubt. In addition, his pace would be a useful attribute for a team which sometimes struggles to break down opposing defences.

While Barcelona are just two points adrift of Real Madrid in La Liga , their 2025/26 campaign has been riddled with issues. Injuries to key players have been a major headache. The hard fought 2-1 home victory over Girona on Saturday raised questions about the team and manager Hansi Flick’s penchant for tinkering with the line-up.

Flick started with Toni Fernandez in attack, but replaced him with Fermin Lopez during the break. This was the eighth time in nine league games he has made a half-time change. It is unclear whether the substitutions are related to what Flick sees during the game or whether he is questioning his original selection for the starting XI.

The trend has the potential to be concerning, particularly when considering that Flick made only one half-time substitution during the same period last term.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the current state of play is the transition to the post Robert Lewandowski era may not be as easy as everyone hoped for. The 37-year-old has been a talismanic figure since moving to Spain, but he seems destined not to remain with the club beyond the end of this season.

Although Flick has reportedly earmarked Ferran Torres as a potential replacement for Lewandowski, it is debatable whether he could carry the goalscoring burden on his own. This factor makes Greenwood an intriguing proposition. He is versatile enough to cover for Yamal and could play centrally if required.

His addition to the ranks would likely benefit Rashford, who will probably relish the opportunity to reunite with a former teammate at Barcelona . The Englishman’s versatility is viewed as a positive attribute by the club and Greenwood’s similar profile would strengthen the attacking options available to Flick.

The fee could be a sticking point for the Catalan giants, with Marseille reportedly valuing Greenwood at €100 million. Manchester United retain a 50 percent sell-on clause. However, if Barcelona can persuade Marseille to lower their excessive demands next summer, the forward could be a useful asset to the club’s attacking ranks.

GSFN | Zach Lowy