Hansi Flick fires Barcelona criticism after Marcus Rashford debut amid Man United nightmare

Hansi Flick fires Barcelona criticism after Marcus Rashford debut amid Man United nightmare

Manchester United loanee made his Barcelona debut at the weekend but Hansi Flick was criticial of his squad

Hansi Flick has been critical of Barcelona's performance after Marcus Rashford made his debut. (Image: Photo by Rafa Babot/Getty Images)

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has criticised his players' performance during Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford's bow for the La Liga champions. Despite cruising to a 3-0 win over RCD Mallorca, the German tactician was less than impressed with the mentality of his players.

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The former Bayern Munich boss felt that his side took their foot off the gas after moving to a two-goal lead through first-half goals from Raphinha and Ferran Torres. The hosts' task of overcoming the deficit was made greater after they saw two players sent off in just six minutes towards the end of the opening 45.

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Rashford was afforded 20 minutes in his first competitive appearance for the Catalan giants with Lamine Yamal adding gloss on the result in second-half stoppage time.

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The triumph took Barcelona to the summit of Spanish football but Flick was left frustrated by the performance from his players.

"I didn't like the game. They're three important points, but I didn't like it. After a 2-0 deficit and two red cards," he said.

"I think the team played at 50 percent, and I didn't like it. We can do better.

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"I don't like them to let their guard down. We had to control the ball and the game. We have to score

"Playing at 50 or 60 percent against nine men isn't possible. We have to play faster. We have to improve some situations."

Flick mentioned Rashford during his post-match assessment and sympathised with the United academy graduate.

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He added: "It wasn't a good part for Rashford, because there was no space. The players played at 50 percent.

"And Joan (Garcia) had a great game. He can continue like this."

Rashford will be hoping to make his mark during his season-long loan in Spain after he completed his exit from Old Trafford.

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The La Liga champions will Rashford's salary during his time at Camp Nou, a move that is projected to save United approximately £12million.

As part of the deal, Barcelona hold the option to make his transfer to Catalonia a permanent one for £26m.

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