Spanish journalist Guillem Balagué has come out to rubbish reports that FC Barcelona have been considering ending Marcus Rashford’s loan deal early.
The well-known football reporter, who regularly works with the likes of Sky Sports, CBS Sports, BBC and more, is one of many to have publicly decried false claims made about the Manchester United loanee, who joined the La Liga giants at the start of this summer.
Barca themselves are also said to have quashed the rumours, with Balagué’s quotes having now been widely circulated online.
Speaking via X over the weekend, the 56-year-old put it simply: that the rumblings are nonsense, reassuring that the club have plenty of faith in his abilities.
Absolutely rubbish that Barcelona is planning to end up early @MarcusRashford loan deal
Barça told his representative that they have a lot of confidence in Rashford’s potential and that they believe he will recover as a top player
As you can see, the Catalan-born RCD Espanyol fan also chose to publicly align himself with former England footballer, Gary Lineker, who has suggested that a targeted and discriminatory narrative against Rashford has developed in recent years.
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Though he didn’t state it verbatim, Balagué added: “No more to say, apart from the fact I agree with Gary Lineker and his treatment by some media.”
In case you were unaware of what he’s precisely referring to, Lineker said in a chat with the Man United forward on his The Rest Is Football podcast that he believes Rashford “wouldn’t face the same criticism if he was white.”
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Having also made the move from Britain to Barcelona back in 1986 (spending a total of three seasons there), the 64-year-old knows plenty about adjusting from playing in one country to another.
You can see the interview in full here.
The interview was conducted shortly after Rashford’s loan deal was completed, and he had plenty to say about his boyhood team.
Responding to Balagué’s social media post, one commenter wrote: “This nonsense is coming from racist journalists in England who refuse to leave [Rashford] alone. They bullied him when he was in England, especially during times when he seemed unhappy.
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“Now, these haters have followed him to Barcelona. Rashford is one of the kindest players in the world, but these clowns just won’t let him live his life in peace.”
It is worth noting, however, that the original reports in question and ultimately aggregated by media across Europe and here in the UK come from a domestic outlet, El Nacional.
While he is yet to rediscover the form of his peak years in United red at the Camp Nou, he is now entering what are traditionally seen as the ‘prime’ period in a footballer’s career and did show more positive signs on loan at Aston Villa during the second half of the previous campaign.
At 27, there is still plenty of time to turn things around; that being said, after being brought back into the national team and with his parent club holding an option to buy clause for around a reported £20 million, the question remains whether he will be returning to Old Trafford at the end of the term. Speaking of…
adidas announces in-store trivia night and meet & greet to celebrate ADIDAS Z.N.E. x MAN UTD collection
Daisy Jackson
The Manchester adidas store will once again be welcoming in shoppers this week for way more than your regular shopping experience, announcing an in-store trivia night, rewards and entertainment this week.
To celebrate the ADIDAS Z.N.E. x MAN UTD collection, there’ll be a foosball table in store all week, a fast-paced sport-themed quiz night, and the chance to snag a free football scarf as a gift with purchase.
There’ll even be an unmissable player meet and greet with Manchester United players.
The collection itself embraces an athletic silhouette, premium materials, and a head-to-toe colour block, with a range of joggers, hoodies and t-shirts all featuring a modern blackout crest and the iconic three-stripe logo.
Each piece in the collection also has a graphic line detail that represents the markings on the football pitches and sports grounds we all know and love.
The ADIDAS Z.N.E. x MAN UTD collection is crafted with a unique 3D material construction, incorporating Primeknit fabric as well as cotton yams.
They’re soft to the touch, and perfect for throwing on after your workout or going out in the warmer weather.
There’s something for men and women in the collection.
It’s all rooted in the sense of belonging that being part of sport creates, and that means adidas are once again putting on a series of events in store to bring Mancs together.
The ADIDAS Z.N.E. x MAN UTD collection in ManchesterThe ADIDAS Z.N.E. x MAN UTD collection in Manchester
All week you’ll see the collection taking over the windows of the Market Street store – and if you head inside, you can challenge your mates to a casual or competitive foosball match.
There’ll also be an ADIDAS Z.N.E. X MAN UTD Football Scarf available as a gift with purchase from 29 September until 5 October.
And on 1 October, adidas will be hosting an ADIDAS Z.N.E. X MAN UTD Trivia night – blending the camaraderie of a classic pub quiz with the drama and stakes of a classic game show.
Teams will go head-to-head across a variety of themed quiz rounds, with a dramatic finale at the end, hosted by content creator and presenter Joe Thomlinson.
The store will also host an unmissable player meet and greet with Manchester United players.
The news of these events comes hot on the heels of the recent adidas Superstar relaunch activation, which has seen Mancs claiming free welded bracelets and ear piercings in-store over the weekend.
Head into the adidas Market Street store any day this week to claim your adidas x Man UTD football scarf gift-with-purchase, or if you want to attend the ADIDAS Z.N.E. X MAN UTD Trivia event on 1 October, sign up to attend via the adidas confirmed app HERE.
The UK’s only football shirt themed vintage fair is in Manchester this weekend
Daisy Jackson
An enormous vintage fair dedicated to football shirts is landing in Manchester this weekend, packed with more than 35 traders.
The Retro Football Fair is set to take over Diecast near Manchester Piccadilly for a huge celebration of all things footbal.
Expect rail upon rail of vintage football shirts, as well as stalls selling artwork, memorabilia, cards, and loads more.
The event comes from Retro Football Shirts, a business that sources and sells retro and rare football shirts.
The business is owned by Tom Rainsford, who started the journey back in 2018 by selling a few jerseys on Depop – fast forward a few years and it’s now a global website selling jerseys from across UK, European and international teams.
Retro Football Fair is another string to the business’s bow and has been attracting thousands of football fans at every event.
The UK’s only football shirt themed vintage fair is in Manchester this weekend
Now it’s Manchester’s turn, with the huge vintage fair filling Diecast with thousands of retro football shirts on Sunday 28 September.
While the main attraction is those kits, the fair welcomes any trader selling items related to the beautiful game – so you’ll find all sorts of footy-related items on sale here.
The event will kick off at midday and run until 5pm – tickets cost £5 and are available HERE, or on the door.
Manchester City or Manchester United season ticket holders can claim 20% off the full ticket price.
Danny Jones -
9th September 2025 
