Marcus Rashford sent warning shot over dream move as Barcelona boss puts foot down - The Mirror

Marcus Rashford is keen on a move to Barcelona as he looks to leave Manchester United, but the La Liga side's manager Hansi Flick has made a decision that may make him reconsider

Marcus Rashford has been issued a warning over his dream move to Barcelona after Hansi Flick punished two players for disciplinary reasons.

Flick has led the Catalan giants since the summer, guiding them to third place in La Liga and to the verge of an automatic spot in the Last 16 of the Champions League. With Barca looking to reinforce their squad for the second-half of the campaign, Rashford has emerged as a target.

The attacker is ready to leave Manchester United, having endured a dismal two years. The Englishman has had a number of run-ins with his previous managers though, over lateness, nights out and poor training standards.

And if he that continues following a possible move to Barca, he could quickly find himself in conflict with Flick. The German has this week put his foot down in response to persistent lateness from one of his stars.

Goalkeeper Inaki Pena was dropped for the Supercopa de Espana semi final victory over Athletic Club because it was the third time he was late for a team meeting. The 25-year-old has emerged as the first-choice keeper in the wake of Marc-Andre ter Stegen's injury.

But former Arsenal star Wojciech Szczesny was named as the starter against Bilbao in a surprise move. And Flick has now disclosed that the decision was meant as a punishment for Pena due to his lateness.

“It’s the third time they (Pena and defender Jules Kounde) are late," Flick said. “You know I never talk about the starting eleven and I’m not going to. Szceszny played a good game and Iñaki had a great first half of the season.

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"That's how it is. In Spain there may be a different mentality. I have to explain this. "The noise outside is very loud. They are professionals. They have to arrive on time.

"It's the third time it's happened (in the squad) and I had no other option. You can arrive early (to team meetings), doing so is not a problem."

Flick has also confirmed that Pena may again be left on the bench for Sunday's final against Real Madrid. It also serves as a warning shot for Rashford, if he does join the club, given his previous troubles.

As Mirror Football reported on Saturday, Rashford’s representatives have held talks with Barca chiefs over a move as he seeks a new challenge. The La Liga side are enduring financial struggles which could block a move.

It is expected they will have to stump up £5.5million if they want to secure a loan deal for Rashford this month. United have made it clear any club looking to take the attacker on loan would have to cover 100 percent of his wages.

Barca do hold some hopes of raising that money, with Ronald Araujo, Eric Garcia, Ansu Fati and Frenkie de Jong among those who are expected to leave the Spanish giants this month, which would allow them to bring new recruits in.

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