Rio Ferdinand was right when he claimed a lot of people were taken aback by Barcelona's interest in Marcus Rashford, "given what he's produced over the last two years". Basically, the forward's form and conduct have made a mockery of Manchester United's decision to give Rashford a new contract in July 2023 worth a staggering £325,000 ($438,000) per week.
Consequently, Ruben Amorim decided just over a month after taking over as manager last November that he wanted rid of Rashford as soon as possible. Frustratingly for United, a buyer could not be found - even after a mildly encouraging loan spell at Aston Villa during the second half of last season.
However, Barca have just agreed to sign Rashford with an option to buy for a fee in the region of £30 million ($40m) next summer - which is pretty much the best United could have hoped for in the circumstances. A transfer fee obviously would have been preferable, as it would have raised some badly-needed funds for the Amorim's enormous rebuilding job at Old Trafford, but United have at least managed to remove Rashford's enormous salary from their wage bill.
Furthermore, there's every chance that the loan deal could materialise into a permanent transfer - because while the general perception is that he'll be nothing more than a bench-warmer at Barcelona, Rashford could actually become a bargain buy this time next year...
