Marcus Rashford has been sidelined for Barcelona's upcoming match against Atletico Madrid due to injury. The striker - who is currently on loan at the Catalan club from Manchester United - is experiencing discomfort in his left knee following a knock sustained during Saturday's 3-0 win over Mallorca.
The full statement read: "The first team player Marcus Rashford has pain in his left knee after taking a blow in the game against Mallorca on Saturday at Spotify Camp Nou. The player will miss Thursday's Copa del Rey game against Atlético Madrid.
"Without Marcus Rashford and Raphinha still, the FC Barcelona first team squad trained on Wednesday at the Ciutat Esportiva with all the available players for the final session before the squad heads off to Madrid for the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final against Atlético Madrid, kick off 9pm CET.
"Hansi Flick will name his squad for the game in the Riyadh Air Metropolitano before departure." The 28-year-old's absence is undoubtedly a significant setback, particularly given his impressive tally of 23 goals and assists across all competitions for the Catalan club this season.
Rashford has enjoyed a productive campaign and has already expressed his wish to stay at Barcelona beyond his season-long loan spell. Earlier reports indicated that Barcelona had presented United with two options to secure Rashford's services: purchasing the winger for less than his £26million buy-out clause, or extending his loan for another year with an obligation to buy in 2027.
However, according to Spanish outlet Sport (via Sport Witness), the La Liga champions have now decided to make Rashford's move permanent, and will only abandon this plan if he sustains a serious injury.
Rashford has been a near-constant presence for Barcelona this season, missing just one match due to illness across all competitions. Just three months into his Spanish adventure, the winger was quizzed about the prospect of making his move permanent.
He responded: "Oh yeah, for sure. I'm enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game so to play here is an honour.
"I just believe that things happen when they're supposed to happen. It's not the first time I spoke with Barcelona about potentially coming here, but for whatever reasons it didn't happen in the past, and now is my opportunity to make it happen. I feel like there's no time like the present now."
If Rashford does return to Manchester this summer, he'll find his old number '10' shirt taken, as Matheus Cunha claimed it following his £62.5million move from Wolves last year.