Rashford failed every time he played 9 for United, though it could work in a different environnment, but I doubt it. The constant comments that come up on this site about 'playing him as a 9' are a bit silly, and show plenty here didn't watch him extensively at United. Same goes for the Raphinha at false 9 claims. This idea that you can take any winger and try to play them as a makeshift 9 just becuase they press a bit and to get more natural wide players into the team needs to die. You need a VERY specific type of winger to be successful as a false 9 - it takes a lot more than just pressing - and Rashford and Raphinha aren't it. They don't have anywhere near the technical ability or cuteness in tight spaces and link up play, and to play as a more traditional 9 they'd be fish out of water with back to goal.
If that report is true it adds to the doubts I have over Flick's ability to win the Champions League and retain la Liga now that Real Madrid look a credible threat again (I am not as much of a critic as the likes of Messi983 or IniestaGoat, but think Temptation, Fati, Birdy, delancey etc go over the top about his abilities, so I am somewhere in the middle, I did vote neutral after all). No top manager would try to play Rashford as a 9. His skillset is so obviously geared to playing out wide. He doesn't even press that well, and then you think about all the other things a number 9 does that he's poor at (back to goal, hold up play, flick ons). Might as well just stick with the corpse of Lewandowski there as at least he can sniff out chances in the box.
Barca will just have to accept they have no very good natural strikers (Lewa is finished and Torres is average by top level standards, let's be honest) and no Messis who can fill in as a false 9. That's the club's fault for bending over too much for Robert. It will likely cost them later in the season but that's life.
What do you think
@Messi983