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Manchester United star lost trust of manager before going on to become Barcelona legend
Marcus Rashford is set to become the first Manchester United player to leave the club and join Barcelona in 17 years. And the boyhood Man United fan will be hoping for a similar success story to the last star who departed for Barca. Rashford will leave Man United on a loan deal that could become permanentGetty Rashford is currently in the process of completing his move to LaLiga champions Barca on a loan deal that includes an option to buy. The forward had spent his entire career at Old Trafford, but following a loan spell at Aston Villa last season, another exit will now follow, and it may spell the end of his time with the club altogether. His latest transfer comes after he was told he had no future at the club by manager Ruben Amorim, with him being one of five players not taking part in the club’s pre-season preparations. Rashford still has plenty of time to turn things around though, and he will hope his best form can be reignited in Spain. And he can look at iconic defender Gerard Piqué’s story as a good example of bouncing back from a tough period. In 2008, a 21-year-old Piqué left Old Trafford to join Barcelona. The Spaniard had arrived at Man United from Barca as a teenager, but failed to hold down a regular starting place in a backline that included Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. His time at the club came to an end after losing the trust of his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, in a similar fashion to Rashford’s ongoing situation since Amorim was appointed as boss. Piqué explained how the supposed lack of trust from Ferguson arose and ultimately led to his departure, in a column for The Players’ Tribune. “In 2007, after two years in England, Sir Alex told me that I was going to play about 25 games that season,” he wrote. Pique signed for United as a youngster but never managed to get goingGetty And he has since pinpointed the moment that he knew he’s lost Sir Alex’s trustGetty “Everything started well. I was getting to play a bit alongside Rio. And then, in November, we went to play in Bolton. “It was a set-piece. I was supposed to be marking Nicolas Anelka. Bolton chipped the ball into the box, and I thought, I’m going to be aggressive. I jumped up to head the ball away, and I completely missed it. It was like something out of a nightmare. “I landed and turned around in horror. Anelka controlled the ball and scored easily. We ended up losing 1-0, and it was my fault.” Pique continued: “As a young defender, when you make a mistake like that, the manager simply cannot trust you anymore. Even if he wants to trust you, he can’t. “I could tell, literally at the moment that Anelka controlled the ball, that I had lost the faith of Sir Alex, and probably the faith of most United fans. “That mistake felt like the end of my career. It ended up being the beginning of it, but only because of what Sir Alex Ferguson did for me. “I wanted to go home. But I knew that I had to have a very difficult conversation with Sir Alex. “There was no buyout clause in my contract, and United could set whatever price they wanted, so I had to convince him to let me go. “It was one of the hardest conversations of my life, because he took such great care of me. “But I walked into his office, and I was honest with him. I said: ‘Listen, I feel like I’ve lost your trust. Barcelona is my home. I want to go back. I hope you will let me go’. “We had a long conversation, and he decided that I was sincere, and he agreed to let me leave at the end of the season.” Pique would go on to leave Man United with a year left on his contract, joining Barcelona for £5million. Pique felt he had no choice but to head home for BarcelonaAFP / Getty Images Pique won the lot after leaving Old Trafford, becoming a Barcelona legendGetty But, as the now-retired defender mentioned, that switch was only the beginning of his career, as he then became a legend at Barca. Over the next 16 years, Pique would go on to play over 600 games for the Spanish giants, winning 30 major trophies. He won seven La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues, the UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups among many others. His 616 total appearances see him fifth in the all-time standings for the most games played for the club, sitting only behind Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Lionel Messi. So, Pique managed to bounce back from a tough period and a disconnection between him and Sir Alex. Now, Rashford finds himself in a situation where he needs to reignite his career at Barcelona following his struggles under Amorim. Gerard Pique: Trophies at Barcelona Champions League x3 La Liga x8 Spanish Super Cup x6 Copa Del Rey x7 UEFA Super Cup x3 FIFA Club World Cup x3 Barca boss Hansi Flick believes his versatility makes him an attractive proposition and wants to add h
Marcus Rashford is set to become the first Manchester United player to leave the club and join Barcelona in 17 years.
And the boyhood Man United fan will be hoping for a similar success story to the last star who departed for Barca.
Rashford is currently in the process of completing his move to LaLiga champions Barca on a loan deal that includes an option to buy.
The forward had spent his entire career at Old Trafford, but following a loan spell at Aston Villa last season, another exit will now follow, and it may spell the end of his time with the club altogether.
His latest transfer comes after he was told he had no future at the club by manager Ruben Amorim, with him being one of five players not taking part in the club’s pre-season preparations.
Rashford still has plenty of time to turn things around though, and he will hope his best form can be reignited in Spain.
And he can look at iconic defender Gerard Piqué’s story as a good example of bouncing back from a tough period.
In 2008, a 21-year-old Piqué left Old Trafford to join Barcelona.
The Spaniard had arrived at Man United from Barca as a teenager, but failed to hold down a regular starting place in a backline that included Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
His time at the club came to an end after losing the trust of his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, in a similar fashion to Rashford’s ongoing situation since Amorim was appointed as boss.
Piqué explained how the supposed lack of trust from Ferguson arose and ultimately led to his departure, in a column for The Players’ Tribune.
“In 2007, after two years in England, Sir Alex told me that I was going to play about 25 games that season,” he wrote.
“Everything started well. I was getting to play a bit alongside Rio. And then, in November, we went to play in Bolton.
“It was a set-piece. I was supposed to be marking Nicolas Anelka. Bolton chipped the ball into the box, and I thought, I’m going to be aggressive. I jumped up to head the ball away, and I completely missed it. It was like something out of a nightmare.
“I landed and turned around in horror. Anelka controlled the ball and scored easily. We ended up losing 1-0, and it was my fault.”
Pique continued: “As a young defender, when you make a mistake like that, the manager simply cannot trust you anymore. Even if he wants to trust you, he can’t.
“I could tell, literally at the moment that Anelka controlled the ball, that I had lost the faith of Sir Alex, and probably the faith of most United fans.
“That mistake felt like the end of my career. It ended up being the beginning of it, but only because of what Sir Alex Ferguson did for me.
“I wanted to go home. But I knew that I had to have a very difficult conversation with Sir Alex.
“There was no buyout clause in my contract, and United could set whatever price they wanted, so I had to convince him to let me go.
“It was one of the hardest conversations of my life, because he took such great care of me.
“But I walked into his office, and I was honest with him. I said: ‘Listen, I feel like I’ve lost your trust. Barcelona is my home. I want to go back. I hope you will let me go’.
“We had a long conversation, and he decided that I was sincere, and he agreed to let me leave at the end of the season.”
Pique would go on to leave Man United with a year left on his contract, joining Barcelona for £5million.
But, as the now-retired defender mentioned, that switch was only the beginning of his career, as he then became a legend at Barca.
Over the next 16 years, Pique would go on to play over 600 games for the Spanish giants, winning 30 major trophies.
He won seven La Liga titles, three Champions Leagues, the UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups among many others.
His 616 total appearances see him fifth in the all-time standings for the most games played for the club, sitting only behind Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Lionel Messi.
So, Pique managed to bounce back from a tough period and a disconnection between him and Sir Alex.
Now, Rashford finds himself in a situation where he needs to reignite his career at Barcelona following his struggles under Amorim.
Gerard Pique: Trophies at Barcelona
- Champions League x3
- La Liga x8
- Spanish Super Cup x6
- Copa Del Rey x7
- UEFA Super Cup x3
- FIFA Club World Cup x3
Barca boss Hansi Flick believes his versatility makes him an attractive proposition and wants to add him to his squad.
Rashford is set to be paid around €10m [£8.6m] gross, including bonuses – huge reduction from his £16.9m-per-year wages at United.
But getting back to his best in his new LaLiga challenge will be the only thing he will be focusing on.
