Marcus Rashford says he is ‘eager to get going’ at Barcelona and already feels at ‘home’ after joining the club on a season-long loan from Manchester United.
Barca brought weeks of speculation to an end this evening as it was officially confirmed that Rashford had put pen to paper on a 12-month deal at the Camp Nou.
The temporary agreement includes an option for Barca to sign Rashford outright at the end of the 2025/26 campaign for a fee in the region of £30million.
Taking over over the No.14 shirt, Rashford becomes only the second Englishman to play for Barca in the past 100 years, following in the footsteps of the great Gary Lineker.
Rashford trained for the first time with Hansi Flick’s squad earlier on Tuesday and is set to travel with his new team-mates on the club’s pre–season tour of Asia on Thursday.
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The England international, a product of United’s academy, will hope to pick up where he left off after enjoying an impressive loan spell with Aston Villa last season, in which he racked up four goals and six assists in 17 appearances.
‘I’m very excited,’ Rashford told Barcelona’s media team upon his arrival in Catalonia.
‘I think it is a club where dreams come true. They win big prizes and what the club stands for really means a lot to me as well.
‘It feels like I’m at home and this is a big factor in my choice to come here.
‘For me, it’s a family club, people are comfortable here and it’s a good place for good players to showcase their skills.’
Asked what fans should expect from him over the coming months, Rashford replied: ‘I always try to make decisive actions, fast, dynamic plays, and I always like good football.
‘I’ve always been a fan of watching Barcelona play from a young age, like most football fans.
‘It’s going to be a joy for me to play here and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.’
Rashford is raring to get started in Barca’s colours and hopes to be able to add a new dimension to Flick’s squad, which finished last season with three pieces of silverware.
‘I’m full of excitement and just hunger to go out and try to help this team win,’ he added.
‘They won so much last year and I can see the ambition of the club is to do better than last year.
‘For a player, that’s what you want to hear because it keeps you improving year on year and that’s what you need to be the best version of yourself.
‘I’m eager to get going, get the games playing, but I’m enjoying every minute of it.’
Barca head coach Flick held several private conversations with Rashford before a deal was agreed, which proved a ‘key factor’ in convincing the winger to join.
‘He’s another key factor and reason I’m here. The conversations that I had with him were very positive,’ Rashford explained.
‘What he did last year, it was a terrific season. But not just last year, in his career he has proven that he’s one of the top coaches.
‘To lead such a young team to a very successful season and then to come back to pre-season and want to do more… it showed me everything that I thought I knew about the club.
‘Now to be here, it’s everything that I wished and thought so I’m, eager to get going and keep learning the Barcelona way as I go.’
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