Marcus Rashford's Barcelona debut delayed due to 'serious breach of contract'

Marcus Rashford's Barcelona debut delayed due to 'serious breach of contract'

Barcelona unveiled Marcus Rashford at the Camp Nou on Wednesday but minutes after the Manchester United loanee's press conference had ended, the club announced significant news

Marcus Rashford of FC Barcelona (Image: David Ramos/Getty Images)

Barcelona have announced that they've cancelled their opening pre-season friendly, delaying the chance for Marcus Rashford to make his debut.

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After spending the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa, Rashford, 27, has joined Barca on a season-long loan from Manchester United.

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The La Liga champions will have the opportunity to sign him permanently for £26million next summer. For now, Rashford's focus is on breaking into Hansi Flick's starting XI.

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On Sunday, Barcelona were due to face Japanese side Vissel Kobe in a friendly, their first of the summer. But the match will no longer go ahead after Barca released a statement claiming that there'd been a 'serious breach of contract by the promoter'.

It serves as the second blow to Barcelona's pre-season campaign after they forced to suspend their long-awaited return to the Camp Nou. Barca announced earlier this month that their clash with Italian side Como on Sunday, August 10 would mark the first game back at their iconic home after more than two years away, but licensing issues mean that the match can't go ahead even with a limited capacity.

The news regarding Sunday's friendly came just minutes after Rashford's press conference at the Camp Nou had ended. A statement read: "FC Barcelona announces that it has been forced to suspend its participation in the match scheduled for next Sunday in Japan due to a serious breach of contract by the promoter.

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"However, the Club will consider readjusting the South Korean portion of the summer tour, where two matches against FC Seoul (July 31) and Daegu FC (August 4) are scheduled, provided certain conditions are met by the promoter.

"If these conditions are met, the Club will travel to South Korea in the coming days. FC Barcelona regrets this incident and the impact on the large community of Barca fans in Japan."

Flick's side are currently training in Catalunya, with Rashford having joined his new team-mates for Wednesday's session. The 27-year-old said upon signing for Barca: "The situation with United is that the club is in a period of change and they have been for a while. I don't have anything bad to say about Manchester United.

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"I think it's been an important part of not only my career but my life. I'm grateful for the opportunity to play for them but football is the same as life and not everything goes as simple as you may have thought.

"This is my next step, my next chapter. I'm fully focused on this and trying to improve myself and help the team win trophies. That's where I'm focused right now.

"I don't have anything to say about Manchester United, I just wish them all the best. I hope they are successful in the future. I'm focused on here and like I said before, I'm ready to play, I'm ready to experience this club."

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