Gary Lineker makes bold Marcus Rashford prediction amid Barcelona spell as England's World Cup campaign looms

Gary Lineker has now dropped a powerful assessment of Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford at Barcelona ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Marcus Rashford has spent the 2025-26 campaign away from Old Trafford after Barcelona signed the England forward on a season-long loan deal last summer.

The 28-year-old Manchester United talent has made 40 appearances for Barcelona in his debut season and Rashford has netted 11 times and registered 13 assists.

Barcelona have the option to trigger a permanent buy clause for Rashford in 2026, with Man Utd setting the price for the Three Lions international at £30.3m.

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Gary Lineker backs Man Utd and Barcelona attacker Marcus Rashford to start for England at the 2026 World Cup

Marcus Rashford’s playing time at Barcelona has continued to keep the Manchester United player in contention for England under Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel.

The Barcelona summer signing climbed back into the England national team in the 2024-25 campaign after his turnaround in form at Aston Villa during his loan spell.

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Rashford made his initial exit from Old Trafford in 2025 after the former Aston Villa star fell out of favour with ex-Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim at the club.

Gary Lineker is convinced that Rashford’s current form at Barcelona would mean that Thomas Tuchel would have to start him for England at the 2026 World Cup.

“You know, if he can keep this form going now, I think he’s an absolute must start for England,” he said on The Rest Is Football podcast.

“If he’s fit in the World Cup on that left hand side, because Marcus is in form, when he’s in form and confident and happy, boy, he’s hard to stop.”

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Gary Lineker on the challenge that Man Utd star Marcus Rashford faces at Barcelona right now

Lineker spotlighted that the noise around Rashford has disappeared after the on-loan Man Utd star has impressed during his time at the Camp Nou this season.

However, the former Barcelona and England striker added that Rashford faces a tall order of playing out on the wing ahead of Lamine Yamal or Raphinha at Barcelona.

“No criticism of him anywhere, either on or off the pitch, which is important,” Lineker explained.

“Which did happen at Manchester United, but we’re slightly different over here. He seems to have accepted the fact that he’s probably a squad player at the moment.

“And that Raphinha and Lamine Yamal are ahead of him. And I would suggest they are two of the world’s top, well, definitely in the top five or six players in the world at the moment. So that’s, you know, that’s no slight.

“He can fill in at centre-forward at times for [Robert] Lewandowski. I don’t think that’s his real [position]… We all know Marcus’ [best] position is on the left.”

Rashford featured in both of England’s March international matches against Uruguay and Japan under Thomas Tuchel ahead of this summer’s World Cup campaign.

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