Astonishing tirade launched as Man Utd slammed for ‘poor’ Barcelona deal

A former Liverpool striker has ripped into Manchester United for the loan deal they have struck with Barcelona for Marcus Rashford, saying that the forward should be playing for Blackburn Rovers or Norwich City, as Brazilian legend Rivaldo gives his honest verdict on the England international.

Rashford completed his loan move to Barcelona from Man Utd this week. Barcelona, who won LaLiga last season, have the option to make the loan deal for the England international forward permanent at the end of the 2025/26 campaign for €30million (£26.2m, $35.2m).

During his presentation as a Barcelona player, Rashford said that he wanted to join in the January transfer window, just as TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, has been consistently reporting, but financial constraints on the Spanish club’s side stopped the deal from happening.

The 27-year-old ended up signing for Aston Villa on loan, with the Premier League club deciding not to trigger their option to make it permanent for £40million (€46m, $54m) this summer.

According to The Athletic, Rashford was so keen on playing for Barcelona that he agreed to take a pay cut and will earn €14m (£12.2m, $16.4m) a year (before bonuses) as gross salary.

Former Liverpool and Villa striker Stan Collymore does not think that it is a good deal for Man Utd, noting that the Red Devils should have got more for the 27-year-old forward.

The pundit believes that Rashford is lucky to have got the chance to play for Barcelona after his loan spell at Villa saw him score four goals and give six assists in 17 appearances, saying that he should be playing for Blackburn or Norwich instead.

Collymore wrote on CaughtOffside: “I think this Rashford deal is poor for Man United. For a player at the peak of his career that they’ve nurtured to possibly only get £25m for him if Barcelona buy him next summer, having paid an absolute arm and a leg in wages over the years, isn’t recompense at all.

“For the player, it’s quite unbelievable. He had a poor last season at Man United, goes to Aston Villa. Cameo appearances that were not particularly great, but by the way that Gary Lineker talks, you’d thought it was Lionel Messi playing for Villa last season.

“For Barcelona, what do they get? They get a player on the cheap whose wages will be nowhere near the £300k mark if they were to buy him permanently next summer. But they get the best of the deal, quite simply, because they’re going to get a player that’s motivated to play for them.

“All that was coming out through the season last season was, Marcus Rashford won’t sign for Aston Villa permanently because he’s waiting for Barcelona.

“I think the greatest story here is how players can effectively be so poor for a couple of seasons, basically, including the loan at Villa, and still dictate where they want to go to a club that’s playing in the Champions League and arguably among the four or five biggest clubs on the planet. And I find that remarkable.

“I think that from a Barcelona perspective, it’s only because they’re still coming out of that negative financial situation that they were in, so that they were doing lots of wheeling and dealing in the last three or four years.

“But Marcus Rashford, make no bones about it, he’s a very, very, very lucky boy, because if football had any logic, he would probably be getting a move to Blackburn, Norwich or another aspirational championship club – certainly not one of the top four or five clubs in the world.”

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Rivaldo backs Marcus Rashford to be a Barcelona success

While Collymore is not impressed with Rashford joining Barcelona, Brazilian legend Rivaldo believes that the Englishman would star for his former club.

The Sun quotes Rivaldo as saying about Rashford: “He’s got everything it takes to shine, especially with the top manager he’ll have by his side, that will really help with his development.

“On top of that, with the quality of Barca’s squad, the environment is ideal. Being in a different league to the Premier League, he’ll have more opportunities, more chances to showcase his football and do something big there.

“He’s a fantastic player, no doubt about it and I think he’ll make a real impact. Definitely a brilliant signing.”

Rivaldo added: “When a player leaves a club in a tough situation, like he did, and joins a team like Barcelona, it’s only natural that the coach will use training sessions and the first few matches to get a better look at him.

“Barcelona had a great season last year, so it’s normal for him to start off on the bench.

“Little by little, he’ll find his rhythm, start to understand how the manager wants the team to play, get used to the training routines, and gradually settle in. Over time, he’ll earn his spot.

“He’s a hugely talented player — he’s already proven that in one of the toughest leagues in the world.

He’s also an international. So, I fully expect him to earn a place in Barca’s starting XI and re-establish himself as a regular in the England squad too.”

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POLL: How many goals will Marcus Rashford score on loan at Barcelona?

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