Marcus Rashford revealed he has been helped to settle into life at Barcelona by one of his new team-mates, and it is someone that Manchester United fans have already heard plenty about
Marcus Rashford speaks to The Rest Is Football
Marcus Rashford has teamed up with a former Manchester United target at Barcelona
(Image: The Rest Is Football)
Marcus Rashford has named long-time former Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong as an instrumental figure in helping him communicate with his new Barcelona team-mates.
The forward, 27, found himself left out of United's first-team training sessions during pre-season by head coach Ruben Amorim following a falling out last December, which resulted in Rashford being loaned out to Aston Villa until the end of the 2024/25 season.
The England international finally made his dream move to Barcelona last month on a loan deal until the end of the upcoming season. Rashford has made a strong impression at his new club during pre-season, contributing a goal and two assists in four matches for the La Liga champions.
Playing an important part in Rashford’s adaptation has been none other than Dutch midfielder De Jong, who once upon a time might have ended up at Old Trafford himself.
While speaking to Gary Lineker on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, Rashford was quizzed on the primary language used in the Barcelona dressing room, which had been Catalan and Spanish during Lineker's own stint at the club in the late-1980s.
Rashford replied: “It’s still Spanish, a lot of the lads speak Catalan, but the easy thing for me is that a lot of the lads understand English. So I’ve just been picking up on the basics on the pitch, which I think I’ve done quite quickly.”
Rashford, who utilised Duolingo to improve his Spanish during the summer and has started face-to-face tuition since moving to Catalonia, went on to shed light on De Jong's role in helping him settle in.
Frenkie de Jong #20 of Barcelona looks on during the preseason friendly between Vissel Kobe and FC Barcelona at Noevir Stadium Kobe on July 27, 2025 in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
Frenkie de Jong snubbed the Red Devils three summers ago
He continued: “There are good people who are like a bridge. Frenkie [de Jong] speaks really good English, Jules [Kounde] speaks very good English, but they also have good Spanish because they’ve been here a few years.
“But on the pitch, honestly it’s easier than what I thought it would be. Also football overall, I know a lot of people say it, but it’s a language in itself and it’s easy to communicate through the general vibe on the pitch.”
De Jong was consistently linked with the Red Devils throughout Erik ten Hag's tenure as United boss, which could explain why he developed his English-speaking skills.
Talks were reportedly held between the club and player in the summer of 2022, though De Jong was said to be hesitant due to United's lack of Champions League football and his preference to stay in Barcelona.
United and Barcelona reportedly even agreed an initial deal worth around £56million, indicating that the Spanish giants were willing to cash in on the midfielder, only for De Jong to refuse a move and United to bring in Casemiro instead.
The following two years saw sporadic mentions of the Red Devils' interest, with loose reports suggesting a renewed pursuit. De Jong, who is under contract until 2026, put an end to any further speculation this year by telling Sports Illustrated of his hopes to extend his contract until 2029.