Deco reveals why Rashford was never going to sign for Barcelona

10 Sept 2026 18:57 BST | 4 min read

Suraj Radia | Editor

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Barcelona sporting director Deco has opened up on the choice to sign Anthony Gordon over Marcus Rashford and revealed the key attribute that the Manchester United star was lacking.

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Rashford spent last season on loan with Barca and there was a belief that the La Liga giants would take up their €30 million option to sign him after he netted 14 goals and 10 assists in all competitions.

However, Barca pushed to sign Gordon for €80m from Newcastle instead, with Deco admitting that Rashford struggled to provide the ‘intensity’ and ‘energy’ that coach Hansi Flick demands.

Compared

Marcus Rashford

F, M (L)

Man Utd

Marcus Rashford

F, M (L)

Man Utd

VS

Anthony Gordon

F (CL), M (L)

Barcelona

Anthony Gordon

F (CL), M (L)

Barcelona

€28.1M	ETV	€64.3M
€25.3M - €31M	ETV Range	€48.2M - €80.4M
28 years old (31 Oct, 1997)	Age	25 years old (24 Feb, 2001)
England	Nationality	England

"We are extremely grateful to Rashford," Deco told RAC1. "He contributed a lot last season, but our idea of play is much more linked to Anthony. His style fits with what the coach is looking for.”

"We see every training session and analyse the team," he added. "We have a clear idea what we're looking for. One of the areas we struggled last season, without Raphinha, was that the team's energy dropped. It was lost.

"We needed more intensity. We analysed a lot of wingers. Signing someone from the Premier League is almost impossible, but [Flick] was clear with what he wanted and we worked on a deal from there."

Rashford backed to fire for Man Utd under Carrick after Barcelona disappointment

Rashford had been desperate to secure a permanent move to Barca, while United were equally keen to get the 28-year-old’s wages off their books but an exit never materialised, forcing Michael Carrick to reintegrate the forward back into the squad.

© IMAGO - Marcus Rashford had a fruitful spell on loan at Barcelona last season.

Since his return, Rashford has proven important to Carrick, starting two of the three Premier League games so far, although he has failed to register a goal or assist this season as of yet.

Former United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen exclusively told FootballTransfers that he believes Carrick can get the best out of Rashford this season as the player builds form, fitness and confidence.

With United having failed to sign an attacking player due to the failure to sell Rashford, the Red Devils will be hoping he can step up to deliver, if not just to raise interest in his services and be sold next year.

Gordon, meanwhile, has justified Barcelona’s faith by netting four assists in his first four La Liga appearances – a feat matched by just two other players this century.