Marcus Rashford scored his first goals for Barcelona as the England forward`s brilliant brace inspired a 2-1 win against Newcastle in the Champions League on Thursday. Rashford struck twice in the space of nine minutes in the second half at St James` Park to make a memorable return to England following his loan move from Manchester United in July. The 27-year-old`s first goals in the Champions League since 2021 will have made for painful viewing for United fans, whose team have no European football this season and are already mired in a dismal start to the Premier League campaign. 

Anthony Gordon got one back for Newcastle in the closing stages but it was too late to salvage a point in their Champions League group phase opener. Rashford fell out of favour with United boss Ruben Amorim last season and was sent on loan to Aston Villa in the second half of the campaign before being exiled to Barcelona for the whole of this term. Once feted as the future of English football after emerging from United`s youth academy as a precocious teenager, Rashford`s career has dipped badly in recent years amid claims he is longer focused on his career. But Rashford`s vibrant performance on Tyneside suggested he could be about to embark on a long-awaited renaissance with Barcelona.