Hansi Flick explains decision to sub Marcus Rashford after bringing him on 30 minutes earlier in debut match

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has spoken out to confirm why he decided to substitute Marcus Rashford just 30 minutes after handing him his club debut.

After months of constant rumours linked Rashford with a move away from United following his fallout with manager Ruben Amorim, the winger secured a dream move to Barcelona.

The Manchester United legend will join Barcelona on a season-long loan, with the Spanish giants granted the opportunity to sign him on a permanent basis at the end of his loan spell for a reported fee of £30.3million.

Just days after his move was confirmed, Rashford was handed his Barcelona debut against Japanese side Vissel Kobe, only for Flick to take him off the pitch only 30 minutes after he was substitute on.

And now, the Barcelona boss has finally spoken out to explain exactly why he was forced to make such a brutal decision during the game.

Rashford was unveiled at Barcelona this week. (Image: Getty)

Goals from Eric Garcia, Roony Bardghji and Pedro Fernandez Sarmiento secured a 3-1 win for Barcelona in the match, with most of the Spanish team's squad involved in the match in some capacity.

For Rashford, this meant coming on to the pitch to replace Raphinha in the 46th minute, only to be taken off in the 78th minute, with Fernandez Sarmiento taking his place in the XI.

While some assumed that this decision may have been based on his performance in the game, Flick later spoke out to confirm that he made the decision to help ease Rashford back into playing following his recent hamstring injury.

"We're being very careful with Marcus because he just came from an injury and he hasn't started training completely with the ball," Flick confirmed.

Rashford made his Barcelona debut against Vissel Kobe. (Image: Getty)

After a successful short-term loan spell with Aston Villa in the latter part of the 2024/25 season, Rashford suffered the hamstring injury in April, ruling him out for the season.

Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the Englishman may look to slowly build back his fitness over the coming weeks ahead of Barcelona's La Liga opening fixture against RCD Mallorca on August 16.

Before then, Rashford will have another three pre-season games to prepare himself, meaning he should be back in full fitness in time.