Marcus Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United earlier this month
Marcus Rashford joined Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United earlier this month
Deco has revealed that Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford could have joined Barcelona in January - but the Catalan club decided he was 'not a priority'.
Rashford, 27, was linked with a loan move to Barca in the winter market after falling out-of-favour under Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford. In fact, having not featured in 12 successive matches for United, it looked all-but certain that Rashford was going to depart before the end of the transfer window.
Although Rashford made Barca his 'dream' destination, Aston Villa ended up swooping in and securing the forward's services on loan until the end of the season. Rashford made his Villa debut as a second-half substitute during their 2-1 win over Tottenham in the FA Cup on Sunday and impressed.
But if Barcelona had stepped up their interest and made a move possible for Rashford, he might have signed for Hansi Flick's side instead. Now, Barca sporting director Deco has opened up on the club's pursuit of the England international - and revealed that he was 'not a priority' for January transfer window.
"The winter market is always difficult. It's true that in the past, there have been important moments for Barca, like the arrival of [Edgar] Davids, but there is no Davids available today in the market," Deco said.
"It's tough because the good players, those who can contribute, are not available. It's true that Rashford was talked about, and he could have come, but we weren’t desperately looking for a player."
Adding that a deal for Rashford was not a primary issue to solve, former Chelsea and Porto midfielder Deco explained: "We knew we were recovering players, and others were getting closer to their best versions. If he could have come, it would’ve been nice, but it wasn't a priority."
Rashford made his Villa bow alongside fellow new recruit Marco Asencio, a loan signing from Paris Saint-Germain, against Tottenham and boss Unai Emery was pleased with the impact both players made.
"Marcus Rashford and Asensio, we watched their skill and how they helped us and will help us again in the next months in the different competitions we will face," Emery said on Sunday.
"We are in a new way after the changes we did. We are demanding because we still need to improve due to some tactical issues and how we want to compete in the Premier League."
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