Marcus Rashford blow confirmed as Barcelona statement could force transfer U-turn

Marcus Rashford has been ruled out of Barcelona's clash against Atletico Madrid due to injury.

The forward - who is currently on loan at the Spanish giants from Manchester United - is suffering pain in his left knee after enduring a blow in Saturday's 3-0 victory over Mallorca.

In a statement released by the LaLiga leaders on Wednesday afternoon, it was confirmed the England star will miss the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie on Thursday against Diego Simeone's side.

The full statement read: "The first team playerMarcus 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."

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The absence of the 28-year-old is certainly quite the blow given he's scored and assisted 23 goals across all competitions for the Catalan outfit this season. It's been a fruitful season for Rashford who has already voiced his desire to remain at Barcelona following the end of his season-long loan.

Reports suggested that Barcelona offered United two alternatives in order to sign Rashford: signing the winger for