Rashford joins Spanish giants Barcelona on loan

Barcelona have signed Marcus Rashford on loan from Manchester United.

The 27-year-old has joined on a deal until the end of next season.

The striker scored 138 goals for the Red Devils, but found himself left out of the team by manager Ruben Amorim.

As a result, earlier this year he signed for Aston Villa on loan, making 10 appearances for the Midlands club.

What's the latest?

Talks between Barcelona and Manchester United moved quickly in the last week, with a deal agreed in general over the weekend.

The striker flew to the Spanish city on Sunday, and passed his medical with the club on Monday.

Rashford's deal will see him join Barcelona for the whole of next season, and includes an option for the Spanish side to buy the striker for £30.3m.

Playing for Barcelona has been Rashford's preferred option since he said in December he was ready for a new challenge, after being dropped by United's head coach Ruben Amorim.

Speaking at a press conference, the player said he felt "at home" at Barcelona, adding "It's a perfect fit for where I am in my career."

"I am a believer that things happen when they should and maybe this is the right time. I am ready to give my all and that is the best you can do," he said.

The move will be Rashford's second back-to-back loan spell, after he spent six-months with Aston Villa in the second half of last season.

He is the first English player to sign for Barcelona since Gary Lineker in 1986.

Rashford's career at United

Having first joined Manchester United at the age of seven, Rashford's breakthrough came in 2016 against Danish club Midtjylland.

Rashford started the game and marked his debut with two goals - making him United's youngest ever scorer in European competition.

Three days later he scored two more goals on his Premier League debut against Arsenal.

Later that season, United went on to win the FA Cup, with Rashford starting the game.

At the age of 18, Rashford now had his first winner's medal. He was also recognised with an individual award, winning United's Young Player of the Year.

He then went on to become one of the team's stars.

During his 20 years at Manchester United, Rashford made 426 appearances, scored 138 goals and won five trophies.

Rashford's work away from the pitch

Rashford made more headlines off the pitch than on it during 2020.

He successfully campaigned so that the government would make free food vouchers for children available for families during the summer holidays.

Rashford said his own experience in childhood was the reason why he wanted to try to help people.

"It's not so much about my family anymore, because obviously the situation has changed. I just don't want people to go through the same things. It's important to understand where I came from and my background, and then it's quite simple really, the reason why I would try and help people that are in that situation," he said at the time.

In November 2021, Rashford was awarded an MBE by Prince William for his campaigning work.