English striker Marcus Rashford’s high-potential move to Barcelona from Manchester United was finally realised on Wednesday after he signed a loan contract with the Spanish giants, confirming all the rumours about him moving to play in Spain.
The Barcelona move came at a very crucial juncture in Rashford’s declining career. After being called a next-generation star, super-talented player who was supposed to take his previous club, Manchester United, to greater heights, Rashford saw a freefall while playing for a struggling United recently. He was dropped from the team and joined Villa on a loan deal after being frozen out by United.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim had said that he let star forward Marcus Rashford leave the club for Aston Villa because the forward couldn’t follow his methods.
Speaking about his boyhood club where he started playing since 2005 and made his senior debut in 2015, Rashford said, “I don’t have anything bad to say about Man Utd. It’s been an important part of not only my career but my life. I am grateful for the opportunity to play for them but football is the same as life, and not everything goes as simple as you may have thought,” he said to Sky Sports.
“This is my next step, my next chapter, and I am fully focused on trying to improve myself and help the team win trophies. I just wish Man Utd the best and hope they are successful in the future,” he added.
United have been struggling for quite a while. “The situation with Man Utd, the club is in a period of change, and they have been for a while,” said Rashford.
The 27-year-old Rashford will join a Barcelona attack that includes young star Lamine Yamal, Brazil international Raphinha and veteran striker Robert Lewandowski. Rashford had arrived in Barcelona on Sunday to sign his contract. He had already met his teammates and reportedly trained with the group on Tuesday.
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Signing praises on his new club Barca, Rashford said, “I’m very excited. It’s a club where dreams come true. They win big prizes and what the club stands for really means a lot to me.”
“I always try to make decisive actions and fast dynamic plays, and I always like good football. I’ve always been a fan of watching Barcelona play from a young age, like most football fans.
“It’s going to be a joy for me to play here and I am going to enjoy every minute of it. I’m full of excitement and hunger to go out and try and help this team win. They won so much last year and I can see the ambition of the club is to do better than last year. For a player, that is what you want to hear because it keeps you improving year on year, and that is what you need to be the best version of yourself,” he added.
While the financial details are yet to be disclosed. Spanish media said the agreement with United would give Barcelona an option to buy Rashford for about 30 million euros ($35 million).
