- England beat New Zealand
- Fans point out Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon
- Man Utd supporters mock Barcelona decision
Manchester United fans will be mocking Barcelona after watching Anthony Gordon stutter in England’s 1-0 win over New Zealand. The Three Lions put in a sluggish display in one of their final World Cup warm-up friendlies.
Marcus Rashford started the game on the left before coming off at half-time for Gordon. The pair are teammates at international level and could be linking up at Barca next season.
That’s if the Catalans decide to meet United’s terms for Rashford, who spent the campaign on loan at Camp Nou. The Spanish football giants are reluctant to trigger his £26m buy option despite his impressive spell with them thus far.
England 1-0 New Zealand: Rashford outperforms Gordon
Rashford was one of the liveliest players on the pitch last night, putting in a decent performance in the first half. He tried his luck at goal several times and often got the better of his man.
The 28-year-old is putting talk over his club future to one side and focusing on trying to help England win the World Cup. But he isn’t certain to be a starter in Thomas Tuchel’s team for the tournament.
Gordon is his main competitor for the left-wing starting berth. That said, on last night’s evidence, he doesn’t have much to worry about.
Barca swooped for Gordon earlier this week, paying Newcastle United £69m to take the 25-year-old to Catalonia. This surprised many of the Old Trafford faithful, who question why they prioritised him over paying up for Rashford.
Gordon was disappointed at Raymond James Stadium, often losing the ball and falling off the pace. It summed up what the Reds have been saying about the La Liga giants’ decision to sign the former Everton star and not seal Rashford on a permanent basis.
“Yikes” – England fans on Rashford and Gordon
England supporters endured a tough watch last night as the team collectively was lacklustre. But many pointed out the difference between Rashford and Gordon’s exploits.
Podcaster Ben Bowman wrote on X: “The difference in level between Rashford and Gordon tonight yikes.”
One fan replied: “Barcelona paid £70 million for Gordon and seem to be refusing to pay £26 million for Rashford. Why?”
Another added: “Again, everyone is better than Rashford till it’s time to be better than Rashford.”
One said: “Its mental how you can get a 80 million pound move to Barcelona for simply just running around, u don’t even have to be any good going forward as a winger anymore.”
Another responded: “Barca fans going to be on top of Gordon in no time – he won’t be loved there.”
One wrote: “They really spent 70 mil on Gordon and won’t buy Rash for 30.”
Another added: “Rashford’s always been the clear player Gordon looks good on patches people will soon realise Gordon ain’t all that.”
One said: “The gap was painful to watch.”
Rashford’s future remains unclear amid Barca’s stance over not meeting United’s asking price. He wants to stay at Camp Nou but the Blaugrana’s decision to sign Gordon has cast doubts over him getting his wish.
