Marcus Rashford has completed his move to Barcelona from Manchester United in a transfer that will go down as one of the shocks of this summer’s window.
Rashford, 27, returned to Old Trafford at the end of last season after an impressive loan spell at Aston Villa during the second half of the campaign.
He scored three goals and contributed four assists across all competitions as Unai Emery’s side reached the Champions League quarter-finals.
However, his Villa Park form was not enough to convince United boss Ruben Amorim to give him a second chance, with the Portuguese eager to move the England international on this summer.
Rashford made up part of Amorim’s ‘bomb squad’ – a select group of United exiles with no future in the manager’s first team plans.
Members of the ‘bomb squad’ have been told to conduct pre-season training alone at United’s Carrington base, only when Amorim is not there.
Marcus Rashford has completed a season long loan move to Barcelona from Man United
His move to the Spanish giants sees him depart his boyhood club Manchester United
Rashford’s new No 14 shirt was place on display in Barcelona’s club shop
In the unveiling video, Rashford is filmed inside an iconic red telephone box picking up the phone, and saying: ‘Yeah – it’s official. You can tell them now.’
Rashford’s United predicament marked an alarming downfall from the sprightly 18-year-old who burst onto the scene by scoring twice on his Premier League debut against Arsenal in February 2016, when he was just 18.
That saw him tipped for stardom, although he has yet to maintain the consistency required to be considered among the top players in the world.
While he was a regular fixture in former England manager Gareth Southgate’s sides as an integral part of Three Lions’ run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and the final of Euro 2020, he has fallen out of favour since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival.
With the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, Rashford will be hoping for a fresh start as he looks to secure his spot on the plane to North America next summer.
Red Devils manager Ruben Amorim was quick to jettison Rashford after arriving mid-way through last season
A new environment may also bring the best out of the forward, after he spoke out in April 2024 having been subjected to ‘months of abuse’.
A post on X, formerly Twitter, read: ‘The way Marcus Rashford is being treated is absolutely disgusting. It’s cruel. It’s abuse.’
Rashford responded by saying: ‘I appreciate your support! It is abuse and has been for months. Enough is enough.’
He will join a Barcelona side hoping to defend their LaLiga title they won in German coach Hansi Flick’s first season at the club.
