Marcus Rashford was dropped from Barcelona’s starting lineup for Sunday’s win over Getafe after arriving late to a prematch meeting, reports have revealed.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick takes a zero-tolerance policy towards lateness. Jules Koundé was dropped several times last season for poor timekeeping, while Raphinha was also demoted just last week for the same issue.
With Lamine Yamal out injured, the door had been opened to Rashford to cement himself at Barcelona and he built up real momentum with a two-goal showing against Newcastle United in the Champions League in midweek, but Mundo Deportivo were first to reveal that Flick had dropped Rashford for Sunday’s 3–0 win over Getafe after he arrived late to a session.
Rashford started on the bench but was brought on for the second half, in which he bagged the assist for Dani Olmo’s strike shortly after the hour mark.
This was not the first time Rashford has been punished for tardiness. In December 2022, Erik ten Hag sent the England international to the bench after he overslept and arrived late to a team meeting, with Rashford publicly taking accountability for the issue.
This time, however, Rashford is believed to have been delayed inside club facilities. The winger is understood to have been filling out a questionnaire given to all new signings on a daily basis by the time a prematch meeting began on Sunday.
Flick, as was the case with Raphinha’s lateness, declined to call out Rashford after the game, instead arguing the decision to bench the 27-year-old was more a case of simple squad rotation.
“It’s normal for him not to play,” Flick told his postmatch press conference. “There’s a game every three or four days. You have to manage his minutes.
“You’ve seen it with Fermín [López]. He’s played a lot of minutes, and we have to take that into account. Today we decided to substitute Raphinha at halftime because he had a yellow card and we didn’t want to lose him; that was the reason.
“[Rashford] can play on the right, although he prefers the left, as an 11 or 9.”
Rashford will hope to force his way back into Barcelona’s starting lineup for Thursday’s trip to Real Oviedo, but may face a battle to reclaim his spot. Raphinha managed an assist and Dani Olmo both netted and created another, while Ferran Torres, Rashford’s direct replacement on the left, scored twice.
Yamal is also thought to be in line for a brief appearance against Oviedo as he steps up his bid to return to full fitness.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Marcus Rashford ‘Dropped’ by Barcelona Over Disciplinary Breach.