Marcus Rashford was the star of the show for Barcelona in their Champions League triumph over Newcastle last week. However, he found himself on the bench against Getafe after turning up late for a team meeting. Despite being only two minutes tardy, manager Hansi Flick stuck to his disciplinary rules and dropped him from the starting line-up.

Whether Rashford was caught in traffic or overslept is irrelevant. He's paid a king's ransom to do his job and should be able to adhere to Flick's regulations at Barcelona. Manchester United wouldn't have been surprised by Rashford's penalty for tardiness, given previous concerns about his behaviour off the pitch.

Despite a controversial trip to Belfast, Rashford wasn't shown the exit door at the club. Erik ten Hag was livid about the escapade but felt it would be counterproductive to ostracise Rashford completely, opting instead for disciplinary action.

Ruben Amorim took a less lenient approach when he spotted something amiss with Rashford in December. The homegrown talent was benched for the Manchester derby and subsequently loaned out to Aston Villa.

Barcelona presented Rashford with an ideal chance to revitalise his career. Many predicted that he would thrive and a change of environment was expected to benefit him - and his display at St. James' Park served as a testament to his capabilities.

"I am not surprised," Flick said. "I think he's a fantastic player. His skills and finishing are unbelievable. I think also in the first half, he tried to create chances, but the finishing wasn't there.

"In the second half, it was. For a striker, it's always good to score. I am really happy. He is an important player. When we spoke before the season about what we needed in the team, we felt we needed a player like him. When we had this chance [to sign him], I said we have to do it. He's an outstanding player."

Flick went on to suggest that Rashford's performance had marked the "first step" and emphasised he must take "the next step."

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The German boss was alluding to reliability, yet Rashford was robbed of the opportunity to build on his progress due to his tardiness issues.

Rashford entered the fray from the substitutes' bench against Getafe in the second period to register an assist.

His ability has never been questioned, yet Rashford must endeavour to become an exemplary professional to maximise his career potential.

Amorim's position on Rashford has been proven correct by recent developments.

Rashford dazzled against Newcastle, a match on home soil with countless British viewers watching, yet he must consistently deliver such performances.

It was magnificent to witness Rashford at his peak against Newcastle, though everyone wondered: why isn't this standard maintained every match?

He possesses enormous capability but has battled with regularity. His inability to deliver consistent performances and concerns over his off-pitch behaviour have hindered his progression to becoming a world-class player.

In football, consistency is the toughest challenge, yet adhering to club rules shouldn't be a struggle. Rashford's tardiness shouldn't be overly dramatised - it was only two minutes after all - but this isn't the first instance of him facing disciplinary action.

He has been handed an opportunity at Barcelona that he simply cannot squander. It would be a tremendous disappointment to see him waste a chance to advance in his career due to further discipline issues.