I will miss Rashford — Flick opens up on decision against signing Man United star

Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick has admitted the club will miss Marcus Rashford after the Catalan giants officially declined their option to sign the Manchester United loanee on a permanent deal. 

The Blaugrana elected against triggering the forward's £26 million buyout clause, opting instead to secure Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon in a significantly more expensive transfer, and Flick has now addressed the departure.

"What I can say about Marcus is I appreciate a lot to work with him," Flick said. "Sometimes it's not always that you do know what happens with players who are on loan. I think our situation is not easy for that."

"But I appreciate working with him a lot; he's a fantastic player and a fantastic person. I think also the team miss him; I will miss him, but it's life, this is what we have to accept."

The 28-year-old winger officially returned to his parent club following a productive loan spell in Spain. 

During the 2025/26 campaign, Rashford recorded 14 goals and 11 assists across 49 appearances in all competitions to establish himself as a key contributor under Flick.

Barcelona executives were reportedly open to retaining the England international but refused to conclude a deal on Manchester United's financial terms. 

The club was unwilling to meet the £26 million (€30 million) valuation, reportedly planning to offer just over half of that figure before abandoning negotiations.

Rather than negotiating a compromise for Rashford, the Spanish club pivoted their financial resources to fund a move for Gordon. 

Barcelona paid an initial €80 million (£70 million) to secure the 25-year-old from the Magpies.

"At the end, Anthony Gordon comes, and from the first call with him when I spoke with him, he's on fire for Barcelona, and he wants to go there and I'm really happy that he is now in our team,”” Flick continued.

Gordon arrives at the Camp Nou after a mixed domestic season on Tyneside. While he impressed in Europe, he managed just six Premier League goals for Newcastle during the 2025/26 season, comparing unfavourably to Rashford's peak outputs for the Red Devils.

Rashford, who has represented the senior Manchester United side since 2016, notably secured the 2022/23 EFL Cup during a campaign where he scored 30 goals across all competitions.