Rashford lauds 'unbelievable' Pedri's influence on Barcelona
Marcus Rashford has been impressed by Pedri since he joined Barcelona, noting that he is one of their most influential players.
Marcus Rashford has hailed Pedri as an "unbelievable" player and says he is one of the standout performers at Barcelona.
Rashford joined Barcelona on loan in August from Manchester United and has settled into life in Spain quickly.
Only Kylian Mbappe (17) and Julian Alvarez (10) have been directly involved in more goals for a LaLiga club in all competitions this season than Rashford (nine – five goals, four assists).
However, Rashford highlighted Pedri's influence as the most telling ahead of Barcelona's Clasico clash with Real Madrid, noting how it helps his own performance.
"Lots of players have lots of qualities, but probably the standouts are Lamine Yamal. And, for me, Pedri is unbelievable," Rashford told ESPN.
"I knew he was good before I played with him. But to play with him every day is unbelievable.
"Relationships on the pitch, the ones I am still learning, are very important. When it comes to the matchday, these are things which make small differences.
"They have such high quality. It's the perfect scenario to play with players like this."
In LaLiga, Pedri has played in all nine games so far, accruing the most minutes (758) of any of his team-mates.
The Spaniard also leads the way for passes (820) and successful passes (747) in LaLiga, boasting a 91.1% accuracy. His 22 chances, meanwhile, have only been bettered by Madrid pair Mbappe and Arda Guler (both 23).
Rashford also highlighted Pedri's dribbling ability, with only Yamal (26/55) completing more dribbles (13/17) than the 22-year-old.
"His game understanding is clear," Rashford added. "From when he first got into the first team here, his game understanding is one of the main strengths.
"Of course, his ability on the ball is clear to see. If I had to say one thing? His dribbling. It's not surprising; his ball retention is so good, he rarely loses the ball.
"To have him in the team is a huge positive. If Pedri is playing well, there is a high chance that the team will score lots of goals."
