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.
Barcelona have signed Marcus Rashford on a season-long loan from Manchester United with an option to buy. The forward joins after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim at his boyhood club. “I want to win the biggest trophies and feel like Barcelona is a huge club in the football world so it is the perfect place,” Rashford said in an official unveiling by the Spanish club. “You see with the team last season, they have a young ambitious team and I want to add my qualities, my personality, improve the team and help them win.” Earlier, in comments to the club’s own media, Rashford said: “It’s a club where people’s dreams come true and they win big prizes. And what the club stands for really means a lot to me as well. It feels like home and this is a big factor in my choice to come here.” 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.
Rashford said: “I was clear on my preference from the beginning. It didn’t work out in January so I went to Aston Villa and enjoyed a good period there. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to play there. The summer came around very quickly, it was time to make another decision. My choice was easy. It’s a family club, something I’m used to from my past.” Rashford has spent 20 years at United, scoring 138 goals in 426 appearances for the club, but has not featured since being dropped by Amorim for the Manchester derby last December. He said later that month that he was ready for a new challenge.
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.
The 27-year-old forward has three years remaining on a £325,000-a-week contract at Old Trafford. Barcelona said he would become the 10th man to play for them and United, after Mark Hughes, Laurent Blanc, Henrik Larsson, Jordi Cruyff, Gerard Piqué, Víctor Valdés, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexis Sánchez and Memphis Depay.
“The player has signed his contract as a Barça player this afternoon at a private meeting in the presence of the FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, the director of the football area and other board members,” Barcelona said in a statement. 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).