He may have scored a brace against Newcastle in mid-week but Marcus Rashford has been dropped from Barcelona's starting line-up against Getafe after he broke one of Hansi Flick's golden rules.
After impressing in the Champions League on Thursday night, Rashford was singled out by Flick.
"I am not surprised [by his goals]," the German said after Barcelona recorded a 2-1 win at St James' Park. "I think he's a fantastic player. His skills are unbelievable and his finishing is unbelievable."
A revitalised Rashford was expected to start Barca's upcoming La Liga clash against Getafe but the 27-year-old has been dropped after he arrived late to a team meeting on Sunday, according to journalist Fernando Polo.
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Flick is a well-known disciplinarian and has made it clear that lateness is unacceptable.
"Flick has a rule that all his players know – anyone who arrives late on a matchday doesn't play, even if the manager planned to start him," stated a report from Mundo Deportivo.
Rashford, who has lost his place on the left wing to Ferran Torres for Sunday's clash, isn't the only player to have been dropped as a result of lateness.
Jules Kounde, Inaki Pena and Raphinha have also been punished by Flick for their punctuation.
On his arrival at Barca, the no-nonsense German introduced 10 rules to his players, according to AS.
From arriving more than an hour before training to undergoing daily weight checks, the former Bayern Munich and Germany manager has made some significant changes behind the scenes.
Every player must eat in the squad canteen without exception, and each matchday involves a warm-up session in the morning before they meet up at the team hotel prior to departure.
Flick has also banned late-night return flights, instead introducing hotel stays for evening games.
Long and intense workouts of 90 minutes each are also a must, meaning players spend around five hours per day at the training ground. He's also scaled back days off between games so they don't miss out on valuable training time.
Flick's methods are clearly working as Barcelona go into the 2025/26 campaign as defending La Liga champions.
Topics: Marcus Rashford, Barcelona, La Liga
Jack Kenmare