When Marcus Rashford was unveiled as a new Barcelona signing in August, he kept coming back to one word: discipline. For a player who had missed training after going on a drunken night out in Belfast a year ago and been forced out of Manchester United by Ruben Amorim for his lack of application, it was an intriguing theme for him to draw upon.
He appeared to be saying that he was ready for this new challenge and had put all his past misdemeanours behind him. "It's one thing to say you're motivated and determined, but these are things that you know can change day to day, depending on how you're feeling," he said.
"But really, the thing that I bring back to my life, not just the sport, is the discipline. And, you know, discipline is something that stays regardless of whether you wake up and you don't feel like it on a given day. Discipline is the thing that keeps you going."
However, little more than a month into his loan spell at Barca, Rashford has already shown a lack of discipline after arriving late for a team meeting.
He was only two minutes late and he is not the first Barca player to have been punished for tardiness by Hansi Flick but the infraction cost him a place in the starting line-up for Barca's game against Getafe, ruining the chance for him to kick on after his tremendous performance against Newcastle.
If Rashford is not careful, then, he risks blowing the incredible chance he has been given to revitalise his career at one of the greatest clubs in the world.
Getty Images SportNegative headlines
When most United fans read the headline 'Marcus Rashford dropped for arriving late to training', they would have reacted with a wry smile. During the previous two seasons, they grew weary of all the examples of Rashford's attitude problems.
Even when he was in his best form during the 2022-23 campaign, he arrived late for a team meeting before facing Wolves and was dropped from the starting line-up, only to come off the bench and score the only goal.
He had prepared for that season, in which he scored 30 goals, by going on an intense strengthening and conditioning course at Nike's headquarters in Oregon. But after demonstrating that he was capable of being one of the best forwards in the world and earning one of the most lucrative contracts in United's history, he rested on his laurels again.
He made headlines for partying in Miami during the summer of 2023. Everyone obviously deserves a holiday but it was his attitude once the season had started again that caused concern. He lacked the same explosiveness as before and often seemed to lack desire.
He continued to provoke bad press, going to a nightclub after the derby defeat by Manchester City – which Erik ten Hag called "unacceptable". His two-night stint in Belfast in January, when he lied to the club about his whereabouts, was the nadir, provoking justifiable outrage from fans and his team-mates.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportCan't perform if lifestyle not right
He was expected to turn a corner the following season and Ten Hag referenced his not-always-professional attitude in September 2024, while expressing his belief that he was on the right path again.
He said: "I think he is on the way back. He always knew, and every player knows, when your lifestyle is not right, you can't perform. You don't get the right levels when you don't have a good and disciplined life away from Carrington.
"He has to set his life right, his training attitude right, he has to set his match attitude right. When he sets his professionalism, he will perform because he's a class player."
Rashford should have been looking to make a big impression on Ruben Amorim when he succeeded Ten Hag in November, but despite scoring the first goal of the Portuguese's new era against Ipswich, he struggled for the rest of the game. And the coach, who had only been working with him for a couple of weeks, did not take long to hint at his attitude problem.
"We'll try to find the right solution for him but he has to be Marcus, first of all, to try to return to that moment," said Amorim. "Then he will have all the help of the staff, the club and the fans because he is a Manchester United boy. But he has to be the first one to want it."
GettyAmorim tried something different
Rashford scored two more goals the following week against Everton but Amorim learned he had gone on a night out two nights previously, something he was very concerned about.
When he took him off after a disappointing display against Viktoria Plzen, the coach and player barely acknowledged each other. Amorim sensationally dropped Rashford altogether for the next game, the derby at Manchester City.
Explaining his thinking a few days later, the coach appeared to say that other coaches had been too lenient with Rashford. "For so long, for example with Rash, you try a thing, it doesn't work," he said. "Let's continue to do the same thing? Or something different?"
If Amorim was hoping that making an example of Rashford would spring him back to life, he was mistaken. He said in January: "Our team should be so much better with Rashford. But he has to change. If he changes, we are more than welcome to put in a talent like Rashford and we need it.
"In this moment, I think it’s really clear that we have to set some certain standards. We are waiting for Marcus, if he wants it really, really bad."
Getty ImagesAn undeserved move
Rashford did get his career back on track during his loan at Aston Villa but it ended on a bad note when he got injured against Manchester City in April, missing the remainder of the season. While it was not his fault that he got injured, him going to a boxing match the very same day as Villa's FA Cup semi-final defeat by Crystal Palace did not go down well.
Given the downward trajectory his career was on, Rashford's ambition to join Barcelona was mocked.
"I hope Rashford doesn’t get the move he’s hankering for," said former United forward Teddy Sheringham. "If you’re going from Man United to Barca, that’s a step up. But he doesn’t deserve it! You can’t deserve it if you haven’t put the hard work in."
Barcelona were initially lukewarm about signing Rashford and talks in May between sporting director Deco and the player's brother and agent Dwaine Maynard went nowhere. Barca president Joan Laporta made Nico Williams his top target, only to be let down when the Spain forward chose to sign a new contract with Athletic Club.