Marcus Rashford feels Hansi Flick's wrath as Barcelona boss slams 'unacceptable' stars

 Marcus Rashford and his new Barcelona teammates received an early dose of Hansi Flick's fury despite kicking off the season with a victory.

Rashford, 27, made his competitive bow for Barca on Saturday as they thrashed Mallorca 3-0 on the road. On paper, it appeared to be the perfect start to their La Liga campaign. Mallorca, however, had been reduced to nine men before the interval, with Barcelona already leading 2-0 when two home players saw red in a frantic six-minute period.

Barca seemed set for an opening-day demolition but managed just one additional goal - a trademark stunner from Lamine Yamal in the dying seconds of added time. Despite the convincing triumph, Flick was livid with his squad for easing off the accelerator, particularly after the break.

It was during the second period that Rashford made his bow, with the Manchester United loanee having begun on the substitutes' bench after finally being registered by Barcelona on Friday. Rashford came on for Ferran Torres, who had netted the visitors' second strike.

The England star barely threatened the goal and headed back to the changing room to face a furious Flick. During his post-match media briefing, the German branded Barca's second-half display as 'unacceptable'.

"I didn't like the match," Flick raged. "These are three important points, but after going 2-0 up, and with the two red cards, I think my team played at 50 per cent.

"That can't happen. I need to talk to the players about this. You can't play at 50 per cent against nine players, that's not what I expect. This is not acceptable."

The Barcelona boss expressed sympathy for Rashford and attributed his lack of opportunities to team-mates playing with 'less intensity'.

"Rashford didn't have the chance to play more freely because Mallorca was crowded at the back," Flick explained. "Also the team played with less intensity, and I wasn't happy about that.

Barca are back on the road next Saturday, taking on newly-promoted Levante. Rashford could be given his first start by Flick, as it's uncertain when striker Robert Lewandowski will be fit again.

Continuing their away games due to the Camp Nou being unavailable for matches, the Spanish champions face Rayo Vallecano in their last match before the international break. Rashford will be hoping to impress England manager Thomas Tuchel enough to feature in their World Cup qualifying double-header against Andorra and Serbia.