Spanish media have quickly moved on from Marcus Rashford following Anthony Gordon's strong end to the World Cup, mirroring Barcelona's decision to pass on the Manchester United forward.
Rashford enjoyed an excellent season on loan at the Nou Camp, helping Barcelona win the La Liga title. However, it wasn't enough to persuade the Catalans to trigger their option to buy him outright for around £26million, a surprise to many.
More eyebrows were raised when Barcelona opted to splash out almost £70m to buy Gordon from Newcastle, especially as the pair were rivals for England's left-wing berth. Gordon's early performances at the World Cup did little to convince observers that they had signed the right player, with Spanish media panning the former Everton star for his lack of impact in England's group matches and asking why Rashford wasn't given more game time.
Gordon's World Cup turnaround
However, outlets in the country soon changed their tune in the knockout stage, where Gordon was arguably England's best player after Jude Bellingham.
SPORT has summed up the change in attitude towards Gordon by highlighting his two assists against DR Congo, the penalty he won against Mexico, another assist against Norway and his goal that gave the Three Lions the lead against Argentina in the semi-finals.
SPORT said: "His speed, ability to unbalance defences, and knack for appearing in crucial moments allowed him to finish the tournament as one of the World Cup's biggest revelations."
They said his performances had "reinforced" Barcelona's decision to sign him over Rashford, calling him "one of the most sought-after wingers in Europe."
Rashford's uncertain future
As for Rashford, his future remains up in the air, with United eager to get him off the wage bill. As things stand, he is due to rejoin the squad for pre-season following a three-week break to recover from the World Cup.
Tottenham, Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly interested in Rashford, although United are reluctant to sell to a Premier League rival. A clause in his contract allowing other clubs to buy him for £40m has expired.
Clubs were seemingly unwilling to pay more than Barcelona would have had to pay. Rashford's £325,000-per-week contract has two years left to run.
United continue their pre-season campaign against Rosenborg in Trondheim on Friday. Rashford could potentially rejoin the squad ahead of the friendly against Leeds in Dublin on August 12.
