Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has spoken out to confirm his reasoning for taking Manchester United star Marcus Rashford off early during his debut.

The English forward, who recently joined the Catalan side, is currently touring Japan with his new club for their pre-season fixtures. Rashford got a taste of action in Barca's 3-1 victory over Vissel Kobe on Sunday, entering the fray after half-time and playing until the 78th minute.

Manchester United transfer news as Marcus Rashford gets a run out for Barcelona in Japan after season-long loan confirmation

Thanks to goals from Eric Garcia, Roony Bardghji and Pedro Fernandez Sarmiento, Barcelona came away 3-1 winners. Taisei Miyashiro was the scorer for the Japanese club. At the start of the second half, Rashford came on and replaced Raphinha before being taken off again with 78 minutes on the clock.

The Catalan giants are looking to take the next step this season, which means winning the UEFA Champions League

Yamal has only just turned 18 and so is almost a full decade younger than Rashford, who will be 28 at his next birthday on October 31. But Rashford still knows what it is like to make an impact, albeit not as big, at a young age given his breakthrough as an 18-year-old at Manchester United.

Barcelona completed the loan move for Marcus Rashford from Manchester United earlier this week, and the England winger has already made his debut for Hansi Flick's side. Rashford came on as a substitute in the Catalan side's 3-1 win over Vissel Kobe in Japan,

Jack Grealish has shown his support for Marcus Rashford ahead of the forward's unofficial debut for Barcelona this weekend. The 27-year-old joined the La Liga side on a season-long loan, earlier this week, after falling out of favour at Manchester United under Ruben Amorim.