‘It feels like home': Marcus Rashford joins Barcelona on loan from Man Utd
Media reports said that Barcelona would cover Rashford's wages this season after the player accepted a pay cut, with the option to buy set at about 30 million euros ($35.25m) for the 27-year-old.
'Very excited. I think it's a club where people's dreams come true. They win big prizes. And what the club stands for really means a lot to me as well. So it feels like I am at home,' Rashford told reporters following his unveiling on Wednesday.
'Another factor is because the conversations I had with the manager [Hansi Flick] were positive. What he did last season was terrific.
'To lead such a young team to a very successful season and come back to preseason and still want to do more, it shows me everything I thought I knew about the club, and it's everything I wished.'
Once seen as a club icon and homegrown star, Rashford had a dramatic fall from grace at United, marked by a falling out with manager Ruben Amorim that paved the way for him to move to Aston Villa on loan in February.
'[Manchester United] is in a period of change, and they have been for a while. I don't have anything bad to say as it has been an important part not just of my career but my life, so I was grateful for the opportunity,' he added.
'But like life, not everything goes as simple as you thought, and this is my next chapter, and I'm fully focused on improving myself and helping the team win trophies.'
Barcelona said Rashford had signed his contract earlier on Wednesday afternoon. 'Rashford can play anywhere in attack. Right footed, he can take players on and is an excellent finisher, talents he can now show in a Barca shirt,' the club said in a statement.
Second time lucky with Barca loan deal
The move to Barcelona came after Manchester-born Rashford, who made 426 senior appearances and scored 138 goals for United in all competitions, fell out of favour with Amorim, who called his work rate into question.
Rashford, who won two FA Cups, two League Cups and a Europa League title with United, joined Aston Villa on loan after Amorim said he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
United issued a statement wishing Rashford well as they announced the deal with Barcelona.
'Everyone at Manchester United wishes Marcus good luck for the season,' the club said.
The forward, who has scored 17 goals for England in 62 appearances, said he was feeling fitter and better after joining Villa, where he netted two goals in 10 league games, while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Rashford said he had wanted to move to Barca during the mid-season transfer window when he joined Villa.
'I was clear on my preference [to join Barcelona] from the beginning. Actually, from maybe in January. It didn't work out in January, so I went to Villa and enjoyed a good period there,' he said.
'It was time to make another decision. My choice was easy. [Barcelona] is a family club, something I'm used to from my past. It feels like home.'
Barcelona are set to play three preseason friendlies in Japan and South Korea, starting on July 27.
Hello? Barça?For sure, I 'm coming ☎️ pic.twitter.com/VoN4GBGxtg
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) July 23, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
3 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
EU and US announce deal: Here's what you need to know
The United States and the European Union have reached a wide-ranging trade agreement, ending a months-long standoff and averting a full-blown trade war just days before President Donald Trump's deadline to impose steep tariffs. The EU will pay 15 percent tariffs on most goods, including cars. The tariff rate is half the 30 percent Trump had threatened to implement starting on Friday. Brussels also agreed on Sunday to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on US weaponry and energy products on top of existing expenditures. Speaking to reporters at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, Trump hailed the agreement as the 'biggest deal ever made'. 'I think it's going to be great for both parties. It's going to bring us closer together,' he added. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the agreement would 'bring stability' and 'bring predictability that's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic'. Von der Leyen defended the deal, saying the aim was to rebalance a trade surplus with the US. Trump has made no secret of using tariffs to try to trim US trade deficits. Sunday's agreement capped off months of often tense shuttle diplomacy between Brussels and Washington although neither side disclosed the full details of the pact or released any written materials. It follows preliminary trade pacts the US signed with Japan, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines and a 90-day trade truce with China. So how will the deal impact the two sides, which account for almost a third of global trade, and will it end the threats of a tariff war? What was agreed? At a news event at Trump's golf resort, von der Leyen said a 15 percent tariff would apply to European cars, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors – all important products for Europe's economy. For his part, Trump said US levies on steel and aluminium, which he has set at 50 percent on many countries, would not be cut for EU products, dashing the hopes of industry in the bloc. Elsewhere, aerospace tariffs will remain at zero for now. In exchange for the 15 percent tariff rate on EU goods, Trump said the bloc would be 'opening up their countries at zero tariff' for American exports. In addition, he said the EU would spend an extra $750bn on US energy products, invest $600bn in the US and buy military equipment worth 'hundreds of billions of dollars'. Von der Leyen confirmed that the EU would seek to buy an extra $250bn of US energy products each year from now until 2027. 'With this deal, we are securing access to our largest export market,' she said. At the same time, she acknowledged that the 15 percent tariffs would be 'a challenge for some' European industries. The EU is the US's largest trading partner with two-way trade in goods and services last year reaching nearly $2 trillion. How have European leaders responded? German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the agreement, saying it avoids 'an unnecessary escalation in transatlantic trade relations'. He said a trade war 'would have hit Germany's export-oriented economy hard', pointing out that the German car industry would see US tariffs lowered from 27.5 percent to 15 percent. But French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called the deal a 'dark day' for Europe, saying the bloc had caved in to the US president with an unbalanced deal that spares US imports from any immediate European retaliation. 'It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, brought together to affirm their common values and to defend their common interests, resigns itself to submission,' Bayrou wrote on X of what he called the 'von der Leyen-Trump deal'. Wolfgang Niedermark, a board member of the Federation of German Industries trade body, called the deal 'an inadequate compromise' with the EU 'accepting painful tariffs'. A 15 percent tariff rate 'will have a huge negative impact on Germany's export-oriented industry', he said. Earlier, Benjamin Haddad, France's European affairs minister, said: 'The trade agreement … will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced.' Echoing that sentiment, Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Hanneke Boerma said the deal was 'not ideal' and called on the commission to continue negotiations with Washington. The European Commission is responsible for negotiating trade deals for the entire bloc. EU ambassadors will be discussing the agreement with the commission this week. How was trade conducted before the deal? On July 12, Trump threatened to impose 30 percent tariffs on EU goods if the two sides couldn't reach a deal before this Friday, the day a suspension expires on the implementation of what Trump calls his 'reciprocal tariffs', which he placed on nearly all countries in the world. Those 'reciprocal tariffs' are due to come into effect in addition to the 25 percent tariffs on cars and car parts and the 50 percent levy on steel and aluminium products Trump already put in place. On the European side, it is understood that Brussels would have pushed ahead with a retaliatory tariffs package on 90 billion euros ($109bn) of US goods, including car parts and bourbon, if talks had broken down. The EU had been a frequent target of escalating trade rhetoric by Trump, who accused the bloc of 'ripping off' the US. In 2024, the US ran a $235.6bn goods deficit with the EU. Pharmaceuticals, car parts and industrial chemicals were among Europe's largest exports to the US, according to EU data. How will the deal impact the US and EU? Bloomberg Economics estimated that a no-deal outcome would have raised the effective US tariff rate on European goods to nearly 18 percent on Friday. The new deal brings that number down to 16 percent, offering a small reprieve to European exporting firms. Still, current trade barriers are much higher than before Trump took office in 2025. According to Bruegel, a research group, the average US tariff rate on EU exports was just 1.5 percent at the end of 2024. William Lee, chief economist at the Milken Institute, told Al Jazeera: 'I think the [Trump] strategy has been clear from the very beginning. … It's brinkmanship. … Either partner with the US or face high tariffs.' Meanwhile, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said: 'President Trump just unlocked one of the biggest economies in the world. The European Union is going to open its $20 trillion market and completely accept our auto and industrial standards for the first time ever.'
Al Jazeera
8 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Gill, India keep series alive with drawn fourth test against England
India, led by captain Shubman Gill, batted with great character to secure a hard-fought draw in the fourth test against England and keep the series alive going into the final game. After losing two wickets before they had scored a run in their second innings, India batted for over five sessions for the loss of two more wickets to end the match on 425-4 at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday. A courageous hundred from Gill – his fourth of the series – and dogged unbeaten centuries from Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar – gave the home crowd little to cheer on a tough day five for England. A closely fought series remains at 2-1 to England, and the hosts must avoid defeat in the final test at The Oval in London, starting on Thursday, to win it. 'This is no less than a win for us, given we were around 300 runs off the lead. Our batsman put on a great display,' Gill told the BBC. 'As soon as England got the new ball, it was doing a little bit, but our batters did really well, and it was tremendous, with a little bit of luck going our way as some balls can get dragged on, brilliant batting and brave batting.' England captain Ben Stokes, who took five wickets in India's first innings but was not fit to bowl much on Saturday, brought himself into the attack on Sunday morning with India resuming on 174-2. The hosts were firm favourites to seal victory at this point, even more so when Stokes's reintroduction paid dividends. The 34-year-old trapped KL Rahul by lbw for 90, ending his excellent third-wicket partnership with Gill at 188. Gill remained undeterred, however, even after getting a nasty blow on the hand. In his first series as captain, the 25-year-old became only the third skipper to score four hundreds in a single test series. Gill Falls After almost seven hours at the crease, a tired-looking Gill wafted at a Jofra Archer delivery to fall just before lunch for 103. Jadeja was dropped on the next ball by Joe Root, a tough chance at first slip. England still had plenty of time to secure victory, but the home side barely created any chances, with India seeing out the draw in relative comfort. Washington moved along conservatively after lunch, but hit successive boundaries, one a huge six, to move to his fifth test half-century. Jadeja reached his fifty and passed 1,000 test runs against England, becoming the third Indian player to do so this series. After tea, with their chance of victory gone, England offered India the opportunity to call a halt to proceedings early, but Gill kept his team out there. With England rotating their bowlers, Jadeja swept to his fifth test ton under no pressure, before Washington quickly completed his maiden test hundred. India did then agree to a draw – the first non-rain affected draw for England since coach Brendon McCullum and Stokes came together in 2022. 'Another hard-fought test,' Stokes told reporters. 'Another five-dayer. We set the game up really well, the way we put the Indian bowlers under pressure, focusing on batting once. 'We gave ourselves a great chance of bowling them out. We played the game how we wanted to; it didn't just pan out the way we wanted,' Stokes added. 'Mentally, I feel fine; physically, I've been better. It has been a pretty big workload this series.'
Qatar Tribune
15 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Rashford makes Barca debut during friendly win in Japan
PA Media/dpa Tokyo Marcus Rashford made his first appearance for Barcelona in a 3-1 friendly win against Vissel Kobe in Japan. The 27-year-old, who has joined the Catalan club from Manchester United on a season-long loan, was introduced at half-time before being withdrawn after 78 minutes. Rashford had an effort saved during his first outing for Hansi Flick's side, who took the win courtesy of goals from Eric Garcia, Roony Bardghji and academy star Pedro Fernandez. Bardghji, another new arrival from Copenhagen, put Barcelona back in front after Taisei Miyashiro had levelled for the hosts. Spain star Lamine Yamal, 18, was presented with Barcelona's famous number 10 shirt - previously worn by the likes of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi - before kick-off. Flick, quoted on Barcelona's website, explained why Rashford only played for 33 minutes, saying: 'He's a week behind the others. He hasn't been training as much with the ball, and we want to look after him.' Rashford, in a Barca video shown by Sky Sports News, said: 'Good performance, good to play in front of the fans, good (for) fitness. So I'm looking forward to the next games. 'Pleased that we could win the game today but of course the most important thing is just settling in and, for the team, getting the patterns in and playing good football and I thought we did that in both halves. 'It's difficult in games like that where you change the team at half-time, but I thought we did well.' He added: 'The reason I'm here is to help the team try to win. So I'm going to listen to whatever information I need to listen to and try to put it into the game and help the team go forward. 'I can play over different positions. It's one of my strengths, to play across the front line. I'll play where the team needs me and try to score goals and create goals from those positions.'
