Marcus Rashford was not bought by Barcelona and returned to Manchester United

Marcus Rashford's season at Barcelona has ended after the Catalan club decided not to activate the buyout clause agreed with Manchester United last summer. Barcelona did not spend 30 million euros to buy Rashford, so this player will return to Manchester United and continue training for the new season.

This decision was said to have been signaled previously when Anthony Gordon joined from Newcastle, this player plays in a similar position to Rashford and will complement the attack that already has Raphinha, the main player on the left wing. Barcelona spent about 70 million euros on this deal.

In addition to technical reasons, another important factor in coach Hansi Flick's decision is Gordon's defensive ability. Flick appreciates pressing play and movement without the ball, elements that Gordon demonstrates better than Rashford, who has failed to meet expectations over the past year.

Age is also a factor considered by management. Rashford will turn 29 next October, while Gordon is 4 years younger, which is consistent with the club's long-term investment strategy. Financially, although Rashford has accepted a salary reduction of nearly 40%, depreciation costs for him are still about 10 million euros per season. Meanwhile, Gordon has a lower salary but the total cost of this deal is higher.

Despite many ups and downs during the season, Rashford's performance is still evaluated positively. After an unimpressive mid-season, he ended the season in better form, but doubts from the board still existed. In the end, Flick's decision led to another choice for the future of Barcelona's attack.