Man Utd player ratings vs Barcelona: Young and De Gea culpable as Lionel Messi shows Rashford how it’s done

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Marcus Rashford woke up to stories linking him with a £100million move to Barcelona.

By the end of a humbling night at Camp Nou, the Manchester United striker was given a brutal demonstration of what it takes to play on this stage.

Talk of interest from the Catalan giants is conveniently timed when the England international is locked in negotiations over a contract extension at Old Trafford.

But it's understandable Europe's leading clubs would be monitoring his situation.

Still, a move to Barca looks highly unlikely in the near future – and not until he proves he has the quality to be a consistent goal-scorer at the highest level.

Player ratings  

How did Man Utd fare vs Barca?  


De Gea 4

Lindelof 5

Smalling 6

Jones 5

Young 3

McTominay 5

Fred 5

Pogba 5

Lingard 6

Rashford 5

Martial 4

Subs

Dalot 3

Lukaku N/A

Sanchez N/A

It's worth noting Philippe Coutinho has endured a miserable time since swapping Liverpool for the Spanish champions last year – and still he was the one the to put a full stop on this 3-0 Champions League quarter-final second leg win with a moment of sublime brilliance.

Before that it was a Lionel Messi masterclass – with more than a little help from Ashley Young and David de Gea.

Man Utd via Getty Images

But Barca were utterly ruthless when required, while Rashford was just wasteful.

To be clear – United's exit is not on the 21-year-old's shoulders.

He remains a prospect of tremendous potential, one of United's own – and a player around whom Ole Gunnar Solskjaer rightfully wants to build a team.

But there is a difference between that and being ready to make an impact at Barca.

And that was patently clear when he raced through on goal inside 38 seconds.

With just Marc-Ander ter Stegen to beat from 12 yards, he thrashed a shot against the bar.

REUTERS

With the score still goal-less and with United making a blistering start, he burst away again in the 14th minute from just inside Barca's half.

As he closed in on goal the uncertainty was palpable – eventually leading to him losing his footing and managing only a limp effort straight at Ter Stegen.

And with that United's last hope of a remarkable comeback evaporated.

Within two minutes Messi had struck.

REUTERS

Young's mindless attempt at a Cruyff turn in United's defensive third saw him lose the ball – and from then on it was all about Messi's near super-human powers.

The Argentine danced around Young and the then Fred before dispatching a perfectly curled shot into De Gea's bottom corner from 20 yards.

One chance. One goal.

His second on 20 minutes was from around the same distance – but on this occasion it was a horror moment for De Gea, allowing a pea-roller to squirm under his body.

AP

Game over.

Even if United gifted Barca their two-goal lead, the remaining 70 minutes were chastening.

Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard had looked so threatening in those opening 15 minutes when Scott McTominay also blew a wonderful chance to test Ter Stegen. But their influence was next to nothing for the vast majority of the game.

By the time Coutinho curled his 61st-minute long range effort into the top corner it was a case of how many Barca wanted to score.

The Brazilian put his fingers in his ears as he celebrated, which appeared to be a message to sections of the home support who have voiced their frustrations with him during an unconvincing 15 months at the club.

Rashford would do well to take note.

How long before United are back in the Champions League?

EPA

Out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage and there are no guarantees United will be back to have another go next season.

Currently sixth in the Premier League with games coming up against Manchester City and Chelsea, they face an almighty task to secure a top four spot.

This, remember, is the team that finished runners-up last season – an achievement Jose Mourinho described as one of his greatest in management.

That comment was roundly dismissed – but United troubles this season have underlined the depths to which they've plunged in recent times.

REUTERS

They are a long way off the standard of Europe's elite, not to mention Liverpool and City at the top of the Premier League.

Solskjaer, who named a starting XI that included only four players signed post Sir Alex Ferguson, has a major rebuild on his hands.

And that could mean an extended absence from Europe's top table.

Barca little fear for City or Liverpool

AFP/Getty Images

What will hurt most of all is the fact that Barca weren't made to work for their semi-final place.

Solskjaer may well look at this current class at the Camp Nou as being beatable – if not there for the taking.

It was only a Luke Shaw own goal that gifted them a first leg lead – and Solskjaer himself will have to question the wisdom of asking the left back to play in central defence.

Here, it was a case of two horror moments from Young and then De Gea to put the tie to bed.

Had Rashford taken one of his two early chances or McTominay had surer feet in the box, United could have been two or even three up before Barca even got going.

Where United failed, Liverpool in the semis or City, perhaps in the final, may well fancy their chances against the Catalan giants on this evidence.

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