The opportunity for Marcus Rashford in Barcelona is potentially enormous – and very different from Manchester

Marcus Rashford had a dream – the chance to join Barcelona.

Barcelona has long been attracted to him too.

The Catalans made an approach for the 21 -year -old player of the time in 2019, when he was classified by 100 million pounds sterling ($ 134 million at the current rate) by Manchester United, and arrived nowhere – as they expected. But you don’t get if you don’t ask for it. They tried again when Jordi Cruyff, a former united player, was their sports director from 2022 to 2023. They thought that mission was closer than the difficult mission to obtain the graduate of the United Academy too, but there were talks.

When the teams gathered in two epic epic games in direct elimination of the Europa League 2022-23 which marked the highest period of the managerial mandate of Erik Ten Hag, his counterpart in Barcelona at the time, Xavi, said that Rashford was the most dangerous player of United.

Ten Hag was dismissed the following year and the stock of Rashford also dropped. But this can be advantageous for the 27 -year -old player, because no one expects him to be Lionel Messi at his peak during his season on loan in Barcelona. It is a huge opportunity to restart your career. He should be very motivated to take him and want to prove that his many skeptics are wrong.

That there was no buyer of a large league willing to pay substantial transfer fees for Rashford, who scored six goals while he was on loan to Aston Villa in the second half of last season, shows how much he is in disgrace. But this next loan decision could be good for everyone. United Saves on the substantial wages of a better employee, Rashford also taking a salary reduction to help conclude the agreement, and there is the possibility of transfer fees of 30 million euros (26 million pounds sterling further – a flight for a player of his quality if he is a success.

Barcelona must always find the money to record it, but as long as they do, it can prove the chance that Rashford wanted and needed. Barcelona is a high -level team. He is fortunate to play El Clasico and in the Champions League and to be in a team where he will get much more ball than in the Premier League with Villa, because the attack is vital for Barça.

Fans of the Spanish champions will salute the signature with enthusiasm. Having failed to obtain their goal n ° 1, Nico Williams from the Bilbao athletics club, for the left side of the attack and unable to convince Liverpool to sell them Luis Diaz, Rashford is a profitable alternative without the need to put immediate transfer costs.

Admittedly, wages will be great, but Barcelona is used to this – they increased the salary of Mark Hughes new when he went from Old Trafford to Camp Nou in 1986. Hughes, by his own admission, said that he had only joined them for money and did not kiss his new life. He was alone, reclusive and spent most of his free time sleeping. While Gary Lineker, who signed for Barça at the same time, learned a new language, discovered a beautiful part of the world and made friends for life.

And wages can also be offset with goods sales if international in England is a success. British visitors constitute a substantial part of the Barca tourist market actively by selling match tickets at a higher price, and apart from Cristiano Ronaldo, no united player has sold no shirts with his name on the back in the last decade than Rashford.

The striker joins one of the best world teams, filled with world class talents; A club that played 60 competitive games last season, winning three trophies and scoring 174 goals along the way. But Barcelona would not sign it if they did not think he could have an impact. They see a sporting and versatile ball player who can operate in three or four positions and score goals.

Rashford will have to win his star status, just as David Beckham did when he moved from United to the other Spanish football giants, Real Madrid. The new Beckham teammates, who thought that English had been signed to help sell shirts, quickly appreciated English for its work rate.

Mark Hughes, illustrated at Camp Nou in 1986, had trouble during his stay in Barcelona (Simon Bruty / Allsport / Getty Images)

Outside the field, Barcelona is one of the best cities in the world, and there are many daily flights between Manchester and the Catalan capital: many Manchester City leaders use them.

Living in Barcelona – Most of the players’ houses are in the Mediterranean south of the city, near the airport – maybe a blessing for a footballer who needs a scene change. Leave Manchester and the negativity that had been built around Rashford – his relationship with United and most fans are damaged, although there are serious attenuating factors – could help.

But it must be seen to connect with fans of Barcelona and the local media; Be a good person and embrace the Catalan culture. Humility is important in a club that belongs to its members, which vote the president of Barca.

The media are also influential and clearly different from what Rashford will be used in the United Kingdom. Ilkay Gundogan was barely committed when he left Manchester for Barcelona in the summer of 2023 during a free transfer after the winning season of City and had a severe time. When the German, now back with City after a year at Barça, started to get more involved, it was seen in a different and more positive light.

Regardless of the size of the name, however, there is little patience for non-professionalism, and control will be fierce.

Not since Gary Neville became the director of Valencia almost a decade ago, someone who passes from Mancunia to Iberia will have so much attention.

“They brought out our own in order as puscats,” recalls Hughes in his autobiography. A man who had been Star Striker of United quickly considered that the Catalan media had tried to return the fans against him as a way to go to the president who sanctioned his move.

Hughes had few problems with what was written in Spanish because he could not understand the language, more than it was sent back to the British media. It quickly became a nightmare for him. The English Terry Venables and Bobby Robson also experienced a difficult race during their spells as a manager of Barcelona, despite their success there, for reasons that they had little control over what is the most political of football clubs. History, however, remembers them both, and Lineker, well.

Rashford is now lucky. The scene is defined, and at the end of his loan, he could play the largest crowd of Spanish football while the renovations of Camp Nou du Barça near the completion, which transforms it into a stadium of 105,000 inhabitants.

In Hansi Flick, he has a coach who speaks English and who, perhaps the most important, wanted to sign him.

Deco, Sports Director of Barça, was also lively and, as mentioned, the club has long been admirers. United was happy to resolve this situation quickly.

Given the circumstances, Rashford could not have asked for more.

(Top Photo: Adrian Dennis / AFP via Getty Images)