Marcus Rashford has admitted that he had previously held talks with Barcelona about a potential move away from Manchester United, but that only materialized this year. The England international also revealed that he is keen to make the move permanent.
After spending half of last season at Aston Villa, Rashford moved to Barcelona at the end of the season during the summer transfer window. After breaking into United’s first team, Rashford found himself sidelined under Ruben Amorim and was loaned out from Old Trafford.
However, he revealed that this was not the first time that a possibility of a move to Barcelona had been raised. “I just believe that things happen when they’re supposed to happen,” he told ESPN.
“This is not the first time I have talked with Barcelona about the possibility of coming here, but for some reason it never happened before and now is my chance to make it happen.
“I feel like there’s never been a better time than right now, so I’m just taking it day by day.
“The important thing for me is just to keep growing, because when you retire you forget everything about the sport, good and bad.
“I just take it one day at a time and try to be better than the day before.”
Barcelona have the option of making Rashford a permanent move in the summer, but Spanish newspaper Sport reports that the club are prepared to assess the situation before making a decision on a potential permanent move.
Rashford has made his intentions clear regarding his future, expressing his desire to remain at the Camp Nou beyond his loan deal and saying it would be an “honour” to wear the shirt.
When asked if he wanted to stay, he replied, “Oh, definitely.”
“I enjoy this football club. For those who love football, I think Barcelona is one of the most important clubs in the history of football. For the players, this is an honor.”
Rashford will aim to repeat his brace against Olympiakos in the Champions League in this weekend’s El Clasico opener when Barca take on Real Madrid. Ahead of the game, Rashford spoke about his move from United to Barcelona: “I was in the same place for many years. People forget, but 24, 23 years of my life were spent at Manchester United,” he said.
“So sometimes you just need a change. I guess this is my case. Yeah, I’m enjoying it all.”
