Simon Jordan slams Man United and Marcus Rashford over Barcelona transfer

Simon Jordan slams Man United and Marcus Rashford over Barcelona transfer

Marcus Rashford completed his season-long loan move to Barcelona from Manchester United on Wednesday

Marcus Rashford has completed a loan move to Barcelona from Manchester United (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)

Simon Jordan has criticised both Manchester United and Marcus Rashford following the English forward's transfer to Barcelona.

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Rashford, 27, has made the switch to the Catalan giants on a season-long loan with an option for Barcelona to make the move permanent for £26million. During his unveiling at Camp Nou on Wednesday, Rashford expressed his happiness, stating: "I feel at home here – it's where dreams come true."

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His stint at United, particularly under manager Ruben Amorim, was anything but idyllic, as Rashford found himself ousted from the first-team, loaned out to Aston Villa previously, and relegated to the club's 'Bomb Squad' this summer, indicating Amorim's clear intention to exclude him from his plans for the forthcoming season.

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Ex-Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan has now pointedly blamed both the player and the club for the deterioration of Rashford's situation at United, to the point where offloading him on loan without an immediate transfer fee—albeit saving £12 million in wages—is viewed by some as a positive outcome.

"We should lament the loss of a significant talent," he said on talkSPORT. "I don't think he was ever at the level he was built up to be but we should lament the loss of the culture of Man United for a player to lose his way.

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"Do you remember after the European Championships he hadn't been fit a lot of the season, was in the European Championships squad... came into that. After the European Championships, the club allowed him to go on holiday for two weeks and then have a shoulder surgery. Hang on... Get your priorities right!

"I think you have to lay the responsibility on the opportunities that have not been taken by the player at his own door, but if you don't create the culture for these young men to respect and value the opportunities that they've got, they can then get distracted by outside influences."

Jordan expressed his dissatisfaction with United's management of Rashford over recent years, while also emphasising that the Reds academy graduate himself must accept some of the blame for the downturn in his career at the club.

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He added: "Of course [it is Rashford's responsibility], but we know there are very few leaders in football. There are more often people who are followers.

"You lose them [followers], there's distractions and outside influences. They get more distracted in their social life. They make their decision for their birthdays. They make the decision to not turn up for training and go out on the whiz in Northern Ireland - and things of that nature.

Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford (Image: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)

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"These are things that are clearly being tolerated by a culture. Alongside that you've then got the distractions, the affluence and the wealth footballers have.

"You've got a culture of not being able to tell people the truth because if you do, they can't cope with it - it's only good news they can hear so they don't build resilience and leadership."

In a scathing conclusion, he stated: "I think he'll be successful at Barcelona because the clear thing for Marcus Rashford is to get away from Manchester United. That's for Man United's sake and Marcus Rashford's sake - and we should lament that because he's a good player."

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During his presentation at the Nou Camp, Rashford declared: "I'm very excited. It's a club where people's dreams come true. They win big prizes and what the clubs stands for really means a lot to me.

"It feels like I'm at home and this is a big factor in my choice to come here, because it's a family club, people are comfortable here and it's a good place for players to showcase their skills. I want to say thank you for the warm welcome. It's a different environment for me but it feels like home.

"I'm full of excitement and hunger to go out and help this club win. They won so much last year and I can see the ambition is to do better than last year and that is what you want to hear as a player. It keeps you improving year on year and that's what you need to be - the best version of yourself. So I'm very excited to be here, eager to get the games going and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

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"I always try to make decisive actions - fast, dynamic plays and I always like good football, so I have always been a fan of watching Barcelona play from a young age, like most football fans. It's going to be a joy for me to play here and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it."

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