You wonder what they made of that in Barcelona. They might have been feeling a little smug when Anthony Gordon was handed a starting berth on the left wing for England's opening World Cup game, but by the end of an impressive and free-wheeling win against Croatia, it was Marcus Rashford who had the momentum.
Gordon's display was criticised by the Catalan press. La Vanguardia noted he 'barely touched the ball' and looked 'subdued', while El Periodico said he had been 'virtually invisible'. It wasn't a convincing introduction to supporters of his new club.
Rashford upped the tempo when he came on and his consistency of performances will surely see him force his way past Gordon at some point during this tournament. His goal, the 19th of his England career, put the seal on a lively performance.
While wages have to be factored into the equation, those two performances made it hard to fathom why Barcelona would be willing to spend £69million on Gordon, but refuse to pay the £26million to sign Rashford, who has just had a good season at the Nou Camp.
The 28-year-old's 14 goals and 14 assists in 49 games for Barcelona prove he can handle the Nou Camp cauldron. He has the advantage of knowing the club and having a good working relationship, but still they looked elsewhere, much to Rashford's frustration.
That is a dilemma for Manchester United as well. They want Rashford gone, for a variety of reasons, and are keen to secure a permanent exit this summer, saving on his £325,000-a-week wages. Barcelona taking the option would have been an easy win.
Now, Rashford could be back at Carrington after his World Cup campaign with England ends. The academy graduate will be given three weeks off before reporting for duty at United. There is no denying that it will be awkward when there is no desire to reintegrate him under Michael Carrick.
But there really should be no reason for United not to secure a good fee for Rashford this summer. His latest international goal was yet another reminder that the talent and quality are there, and that the reasons for his time at United coming to an end go beyond what he can deliver on a pitch.
His record remains exceptional. Only six players have scored more Premier League goals for United than Rashford, who has 138 goals in 426 games in all competitions for his boyhood club. After his goal in Dallas on Wednesday, only Geoff Hurst, Harry Kane and Gary Lineker have more World Cup goals for England than Rashford.
Throw in a productive season at Barcelona, and there are few better players on the market than Rashford this summer, and when he could be available for £30million to £40million, it feels like someone will land themselves a bargain.
Yes, there will need to be a compromise on his wages, but it would be baffling if United were unable to offload Rashford this summer.
