
'That's crazy' - Pogba questions Man Utd decision to let go of 'great player'
There has been uncertainty over Rashford's future ever since the forward returned from a six-month loan spell with Aston Villa, in which he racked up four goals and six assists in 17 appearances.
But the Red Devils gave Rashford permission to travel to Catalonia at the weekend and the 27-year-old is expected to join the La Liga champions on a temporary basis over the coming days.
The England international is hoping to join up with Hansi Flick's squad on Thursday to ensure he can play a role in the club's pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea.
It's understood Rashford has accepted a major salary reduction at the Camp Nou, with the winger set to earn around £8.6million gross, including bonuses – a significant drop on his £16.9m-per-year wages at Old Trafford.
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Barca's deal for Rashford will include an option to sign the attacker outright when his 12-month loan comes to an end.
It's just the latest chapter in what has been a turbulent few years for the United academy graduate, who joined the club at the age of just seven before becoming a household name with his boyhood team.
Though somewhat surprised by the move, Pogba is pleased for Rashford and hopes to see his former team-mate hit the ground running in Spanish football.
'That's crazy. I'm happy for him because they took his number out,' the ex-United and France midfielder said during conversation with social media star iShowSpeed.
'Manchester United are losing a great player… it's great for Barcelona to be honest.'
🚨| WATCH: Paul Pogba talks about Marcus Rashford's move to Barcelona and says:'Manchester United, they're losing a great player — unlucky for them.' 😳👀 pic.twitter.com/UsQMHuDJzt — Speedy HQ (@IShowSpeedHQ) July 20, 2025
Pogba doesn't blame Ruben Amorim for the way in which the situation has developed feels the United head coach is entitled to ditch players if he 'doesn't believe in' such as Rashford.
'I'm not even talking about Manchester United because they've bought a few players and the new manager wants to do his thing, I guess,' Pogba, who joined Monaco this summer, added.
'It's not really his [Amorim's] fault. If he doesn't believe in someone… you need to win at the end.
'If he doesn't play well, if he doesn't win, they're going to sack him. But I'm happy for Marcus.'
On his YouTube channel, Rio Ferdinand speculated that details surrounding Rashford's situation would 'come out in the wash at some point' in the future.
'There must have been so much going on behind the scenes that we're just not aware of,' the legendary ex-United and England centre-back said.
'And Marcus isn't someone who really wants to talk and do interviews, so you have to respect that.
'But I'm sure it'll come out in the wash at some point. Is it because of a lack of form? A lack of confidence? Mismanagement? Have the club failed him?
'Or is it down to him? Is there injuries we don't know about? Has he lost that desire? That form is gone and he can't rekindle it and can't get it back?
'What are the issues that have led to a young kid that's a graduate of the academy at Manchester United, which is famous for all of the great players that have come through there, that he says he wants to leave?'
Barcelona have agreed to pay all of Rashford's £315,000-a-week wages during his loan move.
The winger's current contract at the Theatre of Dreams runs until the summer of 2028. Are Man Utd making a mistake letting Rashford leave?
MORE: Arsenal fans convinced Mikel Arteta dropped major Viktor Gyokeres hint during press conference
MORE: 'Hard to come by' – Man Utd urged to sign £34m former Chelsea star
MORE: Rio Ferdinand sends warning to Marcus Rashford after Barcelona finalise transfer

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Daily Mirror
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Sarina Wiegman's unique England bond as Lionesses boss looks to make history
Sarina Wiegman has led England to a third straight major tournament final and has been embracing her "home away from home" as she chases more Euros glory with the Lionesses Sarina Wiegman has yet to fully conquer English, but now she's determined to conquer the Spanish in Basel on Sunday. Spain came out on top when the teams met in the 2023 World Cup final, and the Lionesses boss now has a chance to take the sweetest revenge. Wiegman has sometimes been forced to get her head around uniquely English expressions - after reacting with bafflement to the phrase 'the cat's out of the bag' during the last World Cup, her response to talk of 'sub-par' England on Tuesday was to say 'oh, we're talking about golf now?!' - but she has been able to get her message across when it matters most. 'I have been here four years and it just feels like my home away from home,' she said. 'I always enjoy it when I'm at work, when I'm in England I love it. It is just the people. The sporting culture, I really love the sport culture and the fans, of course.' Some moments have been tough, but she wouldn't trade it for the world. 'I'm still learning English but yes I have [fallen in love],' she added. 'Otherwise I would not be sitting here with such a smile on my face.' This weekend marks Wiegman's fifth straight major tournament final, but she still isn't used to the attention it brings. She won Euro 2017 with her native Netherlands, following it up with a run to the 2019 World Cup final And she is now chasing history as she leads England into a third straight final, though some things have still taken adjusting to. 'Yeah, I do find that [attention] awkward,' Wiegman said. 'Of course I find it very special too. But I do believe that everyone plays his or her part in the success. 'What I'm trying to do is bring people together in the best possible way, players and staff and the people around me are really, really good. And if they perform at their highest level, then the chance of winning a game is the highest possible. And that's what I'm trying to do." Wiegman's players have described her as a mother figure at times, and it's a relationship she has learned to embrace. Ella Toone joked that the team 'nearly killed' Wiegman through the stress of the quarter-final penalties against Sweden and last-gasp extra-time winner against Italy, and the manager agrees, but the bond between coach and squad is plain to see. 'You know, sometimes when people say about 'the girls' I think, do they mean my daughters, or my team,' she said. 'So that's tricky, I'm kind of a caring person so I need to, maybe that's the part, I care about them but at the same time I'm the coach, I'm making these hard decisions at the moment so sometimes you should leave that caring and leave it up to them.' That role involves finding a balance between spending time around the squad off the pitch and giving them their space. She says she believes 'connections make a difference' - explaining that's one of the things that has drawn her to team sports - but this tournament hasn't passed without stress as well as joy. When you've reached this many major finals, though, people listen to you. 'She's a great manager, she's someone who we all have a lot of belief in, and we know we're in good hands,' Toone said. 'We know when we go out onto the pitch we fight for each other, but we fight for her and the staff too, and all the fans watching as well.' In the lead-up to the final, FA CEO Mark Bullingham insisted Wiegman is not for sale at any price, and the bond she has with her players and her adopted country goes both ways. So much so that she admits she misses her players when they go back to their club sides. "That's what I like about the tournaments because you have more time together so you have more time to have these informal moments," she said. "When we go into Fifa windows it's 11 days and players come from games so you first get connected and everyone has to recover so it's modifications all over to get ready for the game on Friday. "So it goes really quickly, you don't have that much time, and then they go back to club and some, there are moments where there are three weeks in between camps, but there's also moments that you're three months in between. And then, I'm not a person who just goes out and has a conversation where there's no purpose. It's nice to talk, but now it's so formal and informal, that connections are better." Some things have been consistent for Wiegman, while others have changed. She recognises her English has improved, allowing her to understand more than she did when she took over in 2021, but another area of change has come in her celebrations. Keira Walsh suggested this element has been more noticeable the longer Wiegman has been in her role, and the manager says it's been a conscious change. "You learn more again about yourself and how you respond to things and while I'm always working on developing the team and developing or trying to help development of people, I always try to keep developing myself," she added. "What I really wanted to do over all these years and trying to enjoy it a little bit more. Trying to enjoy things a little bit more instead of always being so… you have to be focused in this job, you have to be focused but you need to celebrate the moments that are good, it's really nice." The run to the Euros final has provided plenty of drama and plenty of emotional moments. If the Lionesses can win on Sunday, though, we might well witness the kind of celebration from the boss that none of us have seen before. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. 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Times
19 minutes ago
- Times
Ruben Amorim offers Manchester United ‘bomb squad' a way back
Ruben Amorim has offered Manchester United's 'bomb squad' a way back into the group and insisted they will not be sold on the cheap. Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia, Jadon Sancho and Antony have all been left behind in Manchester as United take part in a pre-season tour to the United States after claims from the club that those players, and Marcus Rashford, who has joined Barcelona on loan, told them they wanted to leave. Despite that position, with the players training alone in Manchester at the club's Carrington training base, Amorim said he has no issue integrating them back into the main group and they will only be sold for the right fee. 'Some players have to find a new place to have more space in the team. Other players clearly show that they want a new challenge and they want new teams. So we are just allowing these players to have time to think and to decide. If you reach a point that they have to join the team, they will join the team because they are our players. And I know for a fact that Omar [Berrada, the chief executive] and Jason [Wilcox, the director of football] have a number for these players,' Amorim said. 'If they don't reach that number, they will be Manchester United players. No doubts about that. I understand that the clubs are maybe waiting for the last minute, but they can have surprises. And I'm ready to receive the players. 'They have more competition. If you want to play in the World Cup next year you need to play so I'm really happy with that because I have more options. If they have to fight each other to play, for me it's perfect.' United have spent nearly £130million on Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo this summer, signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford respectively, but still haven't managed to bring in a specialist No9 despite the chronic lack of goals last season. The club managed only 44 goals in 38 Premier League games but Amorim, who is preparing his team to play West Ham United on Saturday in New Jersey, is happy to go into the new campaign without a new striker with hope that Cunha and Mbeumo can bring goals to his side. 'I think our club in the moment, we need to be really careful when we sign a player. So if we have to start the season with this squad, I'm happy. Because all the players that are here want to be here. With Brian and Matheus, we are clearly a better team.' Amorim said. 'They [Cunha and Mbeumo] can play as a striker. We have Josh [Zirkzee], we have Rasmus [Hojlund], so our focus is to improve the connection between them.' For Cunha, who joined for £62.5million from Wolves, the pressure will be on to bring goals to the team and, after a dismal 15th-placed finish for United in the previous campaign, if they don't hit the ground running at the start of this season the scrutiny will be intense. But the playmaker, who said he had options to move to clubs competing in the Champions League, is not fazed by the spotlight. 'I really think the pressure on this club is not really pressure. It's a privilege, because this is one of the biggest clubs in the world. When we will come to me and show all the projects that I have to put the club in the perfect times again, I feel like it's a challenge that I want to do for my career,' Cunha said. 'Of course, like a striker, everyone thinks about scoring goals. It's the most important thing in football. I completely understand the situation [about the lack of goals last season]. It can be part of my name to come in, goals, assists, and then everything around this. I feel comfortable. I hope I can do my best.'

South Wales Argus
22 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Walsh: Spain 'deserve' to enjoy Euro 2025 final without 'controversy'
England will meet Spain once again on Sunday having lost 1-0 to them in the World Cup final in Australia in 2023 as a result of Olga Carmona's strike. While it marked a first major trophy for La Roja, their celebrations were disrupted after Luis Rubiales kissed striker Jenni Hermoso without consent, leading to a conviction of sexual assault. Contrary to the players' hopes, the victory in 2023 did not have the same impact in Spain as the Lionesses' Euro 2022 win had in England a year before. 'There's a lot of respect between both the teams. The most important thing for them is that they can enjoy this final, there's not the controversy surrounding it,' said Walsh. 'The girls deserve to be there, they deserve it. So first and foremost, as human beings they can actually just go out and enjoy themselves. 'I don't think there was enough spotlight on how incredible they played and how incredible some of them were. 'It was all about the other stuff that had gone on and as a professional, that was disappointing to see. I have a lot of friends in that team, and they deserved more than what they got.' Walsh was playing her domestic football in Spain at the time of the World Cup final, coming up against many of her Barcelona teammates in the clash. Having sandwiched her time with the Spanish giants between spells at Manchester City and Chelsea, she saw firsthand the differences in uptake following England's international success and Spain's. 'Experiencing what it was like in Spain, they could have had more,' added Walsh. 'The way [the WSL] jumped after we won the Euros and everything around it, if you compare it to Spain, it probably wasn't the same and they had won the World Cup.' Her links with the Blaugrana mean she will once more come up against familiar opposition in Basel when England face Spain at St. Jakob Arena with a second consecutive European title up for grabs. 'I speak to Jana Fernandez a lot, we're good friends, and obviously I've got a few friends from Barcelona as well,' she said. 'She was just texting me and saying about our last two games. She said that she's happy for us that we're in the final and said there's a lot of respect between the two teams. 'Moving abroad is difficult because you are on your own. I think that's why I've got so many good friends on the Spanish team because they've always looked after me. 'Irene Paredes always invited me round for dinner with her family and when I wasn't feeling great, I was with Mariona. All those girls really, really spent time to take care of me.' Time to go again. We will face Spain in the #WEURO2025 final. 🤩 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 23, 2025 But while the good feeling remains towards her former teammates, on Sunday all that will be set aside as attention focuses solely on how to beat Spain. 'It is a rivalry. There's respect between the two teams and they play incredible football, and we know that we do on our day as well,' said Walsh. 'It's going to be a great game and hopefully it's a good one for the fans to watch. After the game, we'll go back to being friends, but right now we're rivals.' And while that rivalry has been put the test in the Nations League twice in 2025, with a win apiece, tournament football brings a new dynamic that both sides have shown they are capable of handling. While the Lionesses have earned a reputation for never giving up, twice coming from behind to win after extra time or penalties, Spain also proved their mettle with 1-0 extra-time victory against Germany. 'We've not given up in any game, so that's the message we've been sending,' said Walsh. 'But also, Spain are an incredible team and we've played them many times and we know what their strengths are. 'It's going to be a difficult game and obviously they went to extra time last night and won, so they've proved that they can also do the same.'