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Marcus Rashford cannot shake his Manchester United history as the England attacker prepares to face a familiar foe. The Barcelona loanee will be back in La Liga action on Sunday when Hansi Flick's team host Real Oviedo, aiming to boost his position amid alleged concerns about his future in Spain.

This fixture offers the possibility of Rashford going up against former United colleague Eric Bailly, who joined the Asturian outfit last summer. The Ivorian secured a free transfer to Oviedo following the expiration of his Villarreal contract and finds himself battling to maintain the club's top-flight status. Oviedo occupy last place in La Liga, while Rashford's Barca lead Real Madrid by a single point at the summit. The Blaugrana will anticipate dominating the relegation candidates, who are currently seven points adrift of safety. Bailly, 31, has featured sparingly in their top-flight comeback, managing only five league outings so far this campaign. And there's some uncertainty over his inclusion in manager Guillermo Almada's squad after being absent from their previous two fixtures.

Even if he doesn't feature in Oviedo's matchday squad, Bailly could still turn up in the stands for one of their most significant fixtures this season. Rashford, meanwhile, is striving to recapture his finest Barcelona form having managed just one goal and one assist in their previous seven league matches.

Bailly, who turned out 113 times for United after joining the club in 2016, has tremendous respect for Rashford. The defender singled out the England international as one of the players who "blew him away" when he first arrived at United.

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Speaking after his loan switch to Marseille in 2022, he said: "I knew a lot of great players in Manchester. But if I have to talk about everyone who impressed me, we're never going to finish this interview! There was incredible talent, both old and young. Someone like Marcus Rashford really blew me away."

Bailly completed the entire match when Oviedo hosted Barca in September. The Catalans emerged as 3-1 winners that day, with the experienced centre-back receiving a booking in stoppage time.

Rashford netted Barcelona's consolation strike in their 2-1 loss against Real Sociedad in their most recent league outing. He also provided an assist during Wednesday's 4-2 Champions League comeback win over Slavia Prague, though reports suggest the Catalan club harbour doubts about his long-term prospects.

It appeared his earlier form this season would be sufficient for Barcelona to activate the £26million purchase option in his loan agreement. The Athletic reported club officials have reservations about his defensive contributions, however, a crucial requirement for attacking players under Flick's system.

Rashford scores highly for his eagerness to chase down and pressure opposition defences when out of possession. Nevertheless, the statistics show he falls short when it comes to successful tackles and winning back possession.

He'll aim to demonstrate otherwise this weekend, with Bailly potentially standing as one of his main adversaries should both feature at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere. Rashford might consequently play a role in pushing his former teammate closer to the drop, while Bailly will be hoping to assist Oviedo in securing a remarkable upset and breathing new life into their survival bid.