Marcus Rashford and the last chance to change fate

Four years ago, Marcus Rashford's move to Barca would have rocked the football world . At the age of 23, the MU star was valued at 165.6 million euros (150 million pounds). Of course, the Red Devils would not let him go on loan. Barca would have to spend a lot of money, more than what they spent on Philippe Coutinho or Ousmane Dembele.

But things have changed now. United have regretted the five-year contract they signed with Rashford in the summer of 2023, when he scored 30 goals in all competitions. For months, the Red Devils' board have been trying to find a way to get Rashford out of Old Trafford. There were times when they seemed stuck.

Fortunately, Barca appeared. The Catalan team agreed to pay Rashford's entire 12 million euro/season salary, and also spent 35 million euros in case of activating the buyout clause. This move was quite surprising because Rashford, despite many times expressing his concerns, was still not on Barca's priority transfer list this summer.

Coming to Barca, Marcus Rashford ends 20 years of association with MU.

As everyone knows, Barca are in debt of 3 billion euros but addicted to shopping. They really want Nico Williams and are willing to spend 60 million euros to complete the deal. However, facing the risk of losing their player, Bilbao has filed a lawsuit with La Liga, asking for clarification on whether Barca meets the league's financial rules.

Under spending and revenue regulations, President Joan Laporta's team are only allowed to register new players on a "one in, one out" basis. Bilbao later discovered that €100 million had suspiciously disappeared from Barca's books. La Liga president Javier Tebas defended the rules and Nico Williams stayed at Bilbao. Barca, meanwhile, have used every lever they can to generate revenue but are no longer able to afford the huge transfer fees.

So Rashford suddenly became a great choice. They didn't need to pay tens of millions to own a big name. Spanish fans must still remember the star who made England's 3-2 victory over La Roja in 2018 in Seville, and also made MU's 4-3 aggregate victory over Barca in the 1/16 round of the 2022/23 Europa League.

Marcus Rashford once shone, helping MU overcome Barca in the Europa League.

In a recent revelation, coach Hansi Flick had a conversation with Rashford since January. He is happy to have Rashford in the squad, and so is the 27-year-old player himself. He certainly has a detailed plan to integrate Rashford into the squad, which already includes Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.

At 25, Rashford certainly doesn't want his career to end early. He needs to seize this opportunity to shine again, earn a place in England's 2026 World Cup squad and become the superstar everyone once expected.

Rashford endured a frustrating final season at United. Moving to Barca has been a huge step up. They are a big club that will be in the Champions League in 2025/26, which United will miss. They also play attractive football, a style that suits Rashford's qualities.

The Spanish media are also very different from the UK. In their articles about Rashford after the loan deal was agreed, they praised his anti-poverty projects, from feeding the homeless to free school meals, to campaigns for a higher minimum wage and encouraging young people to read. They did not mention his private life, his drinking sessions or his arguments with his manager.

Antony, a team-mate of Rashford's, used this benefit to rediscover the joy of playing football, then shone during his loan spell at Betis. Rashford could do the same, returning to the Rashford everyone knew, although perhaps not regaining the world's highest valuation of four years ago.