Xavi has clear Marcus Rashford stance and could face awkward meeting with Man Utd duo

Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford has previously caught the eye of Xavi Hernandez, who is linked with a potential move to Old Trafford. After leaving Catalonia at the end of the 2023/24 season, the Barcelona icon has been touted as a potential Erik ten Hag successor after United CEO Omar Berrada reportedly flew to Spain for discussions.

However, Xavi is rumoured to be considering a break from football and could turn down the English powerhouse. Spanish newspaper AS suggested he will reject any offers from the Premier League for the time being, which could improve Ten Hag’s chances of sticking around.

Xavi faced Manchester United twice during his tenure at Barca and was left impressed by Rashford, who has had a challenging spell of late. In a 2023 interview with Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan coach praised Rashford’s performance during their Europa League encounters and said: “Rashford cost us a lot. Also Vinicius, [Karim] Benzema…”

This followed previous commendations from Xavi, who had lauded Rashford even before they met on the pitch: “In the transition he is very, very dangerous so, yes, we need to take care of all of them but especially Rashford. He’s one of the most dangerous players now in Europe, yeah. He’s very fast, he is a very good at dribbling in one-versus-one.”

Xavi may need to brush up on his United knowledge if he were to take the reins at Old Trafford, as the Barcelona legend seemingly forgot Bruno Fernandes’ name in a February 2023 interview with The Times. While lauding Ten Hag’s success in unlocking player potential, he remarked: “He [Ten Hag] is getting all the talent out of his players. You see [Jadon] Sancho, [Marcus] Rashford, the Portuguese guy, and look how Fred is playing.”

But should Xavi step into United’s managerial hot seat, he might encounter some uncomfortable flashbacks, the Manchester Evening News reports. It was during his spell at Al-Sadd in 2018 that the ex-Barcelona star made a sly jab at Casemiro – then at Real Madrid – during Jose Mourinho’s stewardship, critiquing the Brazilian’s lack of balance.

“Madrid break apart, seven players attack and Casemiro stays back on his own to cover the centre,” he told El Pais at the time. “[Barcelona midfielder Sergio] Busquets cannot do that as even I am faster than he is. Casemiro is super fast, but he has trouble with everything else as he has not worked on it.

“He has other characteristics, is more defensive, makes more tackles, covers more ground, but he does not dominate space-time. If you had started with Casemiro aged 12, 13, 15, then he would have that.”

Those were bold claims from a man who hadn’t even officially begun his managerial career at the time. Both Casemiro and Fernandes would be hoping to impress the new boss if they did join forces at Old Trafford, although some existing squad members might be wary given Xavi’s past evaluations.

In any case, it appears Xavi may be out of reach for just about any suitors if he follows through with plans to take a break from football. The Spaniard is already nearing the six-month anniversay of his second departure from Barcelona, but rumours continue to swirl as Ten Hag struggles to raise his stock.