Trip to Manchester and an unknown reason: Rashford and another Barcelona star miss training

Still reeling from the El Clásico defeat, Barcelona players converged at Ciutat Esportiva on Wednesday morning for training, but two conspicuous omissions, Marcus Rashford and Pau Cubarsi, raised eyebrows. 

Given the current injury crisis Barcelona are experiencing, there were initial fears that the reported absences were due to an injury. 

However, Mundo Deportivo reported that Rashford took an excuse to miss training and got express permission from head coach Hansi Flick and the club. 

More information about Rashford's whereabouts can be found on the forward's social media. He shared that he was back in Manchester, but he did not skip out on the day's physical preparation, as he shared clips and pictures of himself working hard in the gym. 

Like Rashford, the Spain international defender also got permission from the club to miss training. However, information on his social media does not clue fans in on his whereabouts. 

It’s unlikely that Cubarsí’s absence is due to injury. When Barcelona announced Pedri’s injury, they made no mention of Cubarsí—had he been injured, the club would likely have included him in the statement.