[Sports] Gerard Pique has already given Marcus Rashford an idea of what it's like to play for Barcelona after Man Utd stint and it speaks volumes

[protaa]

 

Gerard Pique has already given Marcus Rashford an idea of what it's like to play for Barcelona – and the former Manchester United defender came to the same conclusion as Pep Guardiola.

Rashford landed in Catalonia on Sunday evening after he was given permission from Manchester United to complete the formalities of a season-long loan move.

After a deal was agreed in principle over the weekend, Rashford joined up with Barcelona manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco at the club's Ciutat Esportiva training ground on Monday morning.

He is expected to be presented to the Spanish media on Wednesday, according to BBC Sport.

Barcelona, meanwhile, have agreed to cover Rashford's £325,000-a-week wage in full, and the deal is also said to include an option to buy for €35 million, which equates to around £30.3 million.

It is a dream come true for the Wythenshawe-born forward, who has already said he would like to play alongside teenage sensation Lamine Yamal at the Camp Nou.

When asked about the prospect of playing alongside Yamal in an interview with Spanish influencer Javi Ruiz last month, Rashford said: "Yes, for sure, Everyone wants to play with the best. Hopefully... we'll see."

One thing is for certain; the pressure of playing for such a big club like Barcelona is higher than most.

In fact, former defender Gerard Pique – who also played for Manchester United between 2004 and 2008 – once explained why playing for the Catalan side was unlike any other.

Speaking at a 2019 press conference, Pique said: “There is no club in the world that plays with as much pressure as Barcelona. If we don’t win a treble, people think it’s a bad season.”

Pep Guardiola, who enjoyed a trophy-laden spell with arguably the greatest Barcelona team of all time, also claimed the expectations that come with representing the Spanish giants are beyond those of Manchester City and Bayern Munich.

Speaking at a press conference in 2017, he said: “More pressure here [At City]? No. The most pressure was in Barcelona. You cannot compare the pressure in Barcelona and Madrid to Munich or Manchester. Here it is less, much, much less.”

As mentioned above, Rashford is expected to be unveiled as a Barcelona player on Wednesday and will likely feature on their pre-season trip to Asia, where they will face Vissel Kobe in Japan followed by two matches in South Korea against Daegu FC and FC Seoul.

 

https://www.sportbible.com/football/la-liga/fc-barcelona/gerard-pique-marcus-rashford-barcelona-man-utd-transfer-216818-20250722