Xavi names Man Utd star Marcus Rashford in elite group of three players Barcelona fear
XAVI has named Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford as one of the players Barcelona fear most.
Rashford, 25, scored 30 goals and provided 11 assists in 56 appearances across all competitions last season.
GettyXavi believes Marcus Rashford is one of the hardest players to play against[/caption]
APThe Barcelona boss admitted his team ‘struggled a lot’ against the Man Utd star[/caption]
He also featured in both legs of United’s Champions League clash with Barcelona, contributing one goal and an assist at the Nou Camp.
The Red Devils defeated the La Liga giants 4-3 on aggregate to progress to the round-of-16 before eventually being knocked out by Sevilla in the quarter-finals.
But those two matches stuck with Barca boss Xavi, who has since claimed that Rashford is one of the most difficult players to handle on the pitch.
In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, the Spaniard said: “With Rashford we struggled a lot. But also Vinicius, Benzema.”
The Man Utd winger has struggled to find his form this season, with just one goal in seven Premier League appearances.
But Erik ten Hag has insisted that there is more to come from the England international.
Speaking after United’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday, the Dutchman said: “I think he knows he can do better than he is now and I’m sure it will come.
“He works hard and it will come, but not automatically. The team has to work around him, and they have to invest a lot.
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“The decision-making wasn’t good enough and then we don’t score.”
The Red Devils currently sit 10th in the league table with just nine points from their opening seven games.
And Ten Hag has urged his team to be more consistent in terms of performances and results.
He added: “Of course, that is the concern but we have to be more consistent.
“This is not just a demand from Man Utd, the demand is that we get a row of wins, to get into a rhythm; we have to do better than we are doing right now.”
ReutersVinicius Jr and Karim Benzema were the other two players Barcelona feared most[/caption]
