Barcelona‘s Sporting Director Deco has confirmed that Aston Villa made significant efforts to keep Marcus Rashford after his loan period at the club last season. In an exclusive interview with the Spanish outlet Sport, Deco shared details about the summer transfer situation.
Deco Confirms Aston Villa’s Attempt to Keep Marcus Rashford
The England international joined Unai Emery’s team during the latter half of the last season and quickly became a key player. Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim felt that Rashford’s style didn’t fit into his plans at Old Trafford.
Aston Villa’s management was determined to secure Rashford permanently. However, the player preferred a move to the La Liga leaders, ending Villa’s hopes. This decision opened the door for Barcelona to arrange a season-long loan with an option to buy.
“Yes, definitely. I think it wasn’t easy to come here. He’s played at a very high level, with huge demands at a club like Manchester United,” Deco stated.
“He spent six months at Aston Villa, where he did very well. For sure, Aston Villa would have liked to keep him. I know this from my conversations with people there. But his desire was to join Barca, which is very positive,” he added.
“We managed to finalize a loan, and the fact that he took a pay cut to make this happen shows how much he wanted to come. We are very pleased about that. He adds great value to the team.”
Was it a setback for the Lions?