McGuane 'wasn't ready' for early Barcelona move

Marcus McGuane began his career at Arsenal before moving to Barcelona as a teenager

Bristol City midfielder Marcus McGuane says he was "not mentally ready" to deal with the high expectations on him early in his career.

McGuane, 25, began his career in Arsenal's academy before a move to Barcelona's reserve side saw him become the first Englishman since Gary Lineker to play for the club in 2018 when he was a teenager.

He spent two years in Spain playing for the Catalan giants' reserve side and also played for England Under-19s before returning home to join Nottingham Forest.

"I feel like when I was a little bit younger I'd been given quite a lot early and there was high expectations of me and maybe I wasn't, I'm not sure, mentally ready for everything," McGuane told BBC Radio Bristol's Sound of the City.

"I wasn't in the right mind frame to be able to deal with everything at certain times.

"I feel like I've grown, I've learned my trade. I've had real tough, difficult times in football and I feel like it just makes you more grateful for everything you do have and definitely makes you mentally stronger so I wouldn't change it for the world."

McGuane joined Bristol City this summer from Oxford United - after helping them win promotion to the Championship - where he made more than 150 appearances across four years.

He has played in six games for the Robins so far this campaign and said all he wants to do in his career now is "fulfil my potential".

"I feel like I believe in myself - that's the main thing - but I just want to fulfil my potential. I feel like I owe that to the people who have invested so much time into me, my family, my mum," McGuane said.

"Just go out there and enjoy football. I feel like everything falls into place when you do that."

'I remember being greeted by Iniesta'

McGuane spent two years playing with Barcelona in Spain

McGuane was just 19 when he moved to Barcelona and while he was signed to their reserve team, he came on as a substitute for their Catalan Super Cup game against Espanyol in March 2018 for his first-team debut - 29 years after Lineker played for the club.

He also spent plenty of time training with the first team, then bursting with global superstars.

"I remember going into the changing room the first time and being greeted by the likes of Iniesta, Busquets, Messi, Pique, Suarez," McGuane said.

"Being a young boy from where I was from - I grew up in Woolwich - it's a big contrast to that type of life. Going there opened my eyes up, it opened my eyes up to how humble people are, the culture and how they are.

"I had some fantastic opportunities there that I will take with me and cherish my whole life."

McGuane's move to Ashton Gate this summer saw him link back up with former Oxford boss Liam Manning, who he played under during his time at the U's.

He says he feels like he "owes a lot" to Manning and that the two work well together because they see football in a similar way.

"When he came into Oxford, he really made me see football in a different light. Every day, the detail he went into and just him on a personal level makes you want to fight for him and work under him," McGuane said.

"I feel like I love the way he views football, we're aligned in that. He manages to give me a platform to get the best out of me. For all players, that's all you want wherever you are."