It is no secret that Marcus Rashford has wanted to join Barcelona from the moment he was frozen out at Manchester United, and his dream has come true.
Even the loan to Aston Villa in January was a compromise from all sides involved, and the hope is that this loan move to Barcelona eventually turns permanent.
Marcus Rashford is set to live out his dream, even though many Man Utd fans hoped that he was already living one at Old Trafford.
Rashford couldn’t have made it clearer that he wasn’t with his remarks in his introductory press conference as a Barcelona player.
Marcus Rashford on what he received from Barcelona
While Barcelona didn’t exactly have Rashford as one of their priority targets, the circumstances of this move suggest that he might end up being the best choice.
At his peak, Rashford is better than most of the players they were targeting, like Nico Williams and Luis Diaz.
Considering that the only asterisk with Rashford was his time at United when he had fallen out of love with the club, chances are that he comes roaring back to form in Catalonia.
He has already hinted that he has received from Barcelona what he didn’t at Man Utd, especially once Ruben Amorim walked through the doors.
He said: “If I’m at Barca, it’s also because of Hansi Flick. The conversations I had with him were very positive. He has proven to be one of the top coaches. He led a young team to such a successful season, has returned to the preseason wanting even more.
“As a player, we always appreciate the support, and as a new player, I really appreciate the affection the fans are showing me. I feel at home.”
Ruben Amorim was less accommodating toward Marcus Rashford
It is a fair argument to make that Ruben Amorim drew a line in the sand almost immediately upon arrival and closed the door shut on his potential return as well.
In that sense, Rashford didn’t receive the support from the club. Hansi Flick was a factor in his choice to join Barcelona, and Amorim would have been a factor in his choice to depart Man Utd.
However, that lack of support doesn’t tell the whole story, because his time under Amorim was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Rashford’s history of unprofessionalism stretched too far before Man Utd’s manager’s arrival, with Erik ten Hag, Jose Mourinho, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer disciplining the player at various points during their tenure.
Amorim was the one who had the courage to finally say, “No more”, and closed the door on his return.
If Rashford felt a lack of support from Man Utd under Amorim, it was partly due to his own making. The hope now is that he shines with support from Flick and Barcelona.
Neither of the three parties involved in this deal – Man Utd, Barcelona, and Marcus Rashford – would benefit from his return to Old Trafford.
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