Barcelona manager Hansi Flick says Marcus Rashford is thriving both on and off the pitch since swapping Manchester for the sunshine of Spain, suggesting the change of environment has helped reignite the forward’s career following his loan move from Manchester United.

Rashford, who missed Saturday’s 4–0 La Liga victory over Athletic Bilbao due to flu, has now recovered and is available for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The 28-year-old has made an immediate impact in Catalonia, scoring six goals for Barça so far—four of them in the Champions League. That tally includes a brace on the team’s last trip to England, when they visited Newcastle in September.

After struggling for form during his final months at Old Trafford, Rashford has found renewed confidence in Spain, something Flick believes is no coincidence.

“I’m happy to have him here at Barça,” Flick said on Monday. “I’ve followed his career for a long time, and I’ve always admired his quality and what he can produce in the box. He’s showing that again in Barcelona.

“The change of scenery, the new football, the good weather… it’s helped him. It’s incredible to see how often he’s smiling now. That’s the atmosphere we have, and it’s very good for him.”

Barcelona and Chelsea enter the fifth round of Champions League fixtures level on seven points, both chasing a top-eight finish to progress directly to the last 16.

Flick also welcomed the return of winger Raphinha, who made his first appearance in nearly two months when he came off the bench in Saturday’s win.

“Step by step with Raphinha,” Flick cautioned. “The important thing is that he’s back. We’ll decide how many minutes he can play.

“He’s suffered the same injury twice, which is not ideal at this stage of the season, so we have to be careful. But I’m very happy he returned—his dynamism, the spaces he creates, the difference he made as soon as he came on… I’m delighted to have him available again.”