Rashford was in talks with Barca to escape Mourinho?

[Sassy Colin]

The source is behind The Athletic paywall, if anyone has access. Could also explain the huge new manager bounce when Ole arrived.

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford and his family reportedly held transfer talks with Barcelona during the worst period at the club under Jose Mourinho.

According to The Athletic, players’ confidence was damaged by Mourinho, with Fred a notable example, while the report also names the likes of Rashford, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial as not being unhappy when he left, due to playing within themselves and feeling afraid of making mistakes.

The report explains that this led Rashford and his family to contact Barcelona, though the Catalan giants were not optimistic that United would sell the England international.

https://www.caughtoffside.com/2020/...-barcelona-transfer-talks-to-escape-mourinho/

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

I wouldn't be surprised if this were true, the bounce was fantastic after some of the worst times we've had in the PL era.

 

[SteveJ]

I struggle to blame Rashford for this. That time when Mourinho played to the galleries, on the sidelines, gesturing melodramatically to the crowd as Marcus missed chances was absolutely pathetic & typically self-serving.

 

[Nick7]

This was news the summer before Mourinho was sacked. Everyone laughed at it because “Rashford isn’t Barcelona quality” or some bollocks like that.

 

[Dante]

Players' representatives talk with everybody all the time.

It's the equivalent of looking at an attractive woman even though you're happily married. It only becomes an issue when you take it past a certain point.

A realistic scenario might have been that Barcelona offered a free flight and accommodation in return for a sit down chat with his representatives. And then Rashford's representatives agreed.

You can't control your entourage, and your entourage can't control you.

 

[JohnnyKills]

Players' representatives talk with everybody all the time.

It's the equivalent of looking at an attractive woman even though you're happily married. It only becomes an issue when you take it past a certain point.

Or the pepper spray comes out.

 

[RedRonaldo]

I struggle to blame Rashford for this. That time when Mourinho played to the galleries, on the sidelines, gesturing melodramatically to the crowd as Marcus missed chances was absolutely pathetic & typically self-serving.

Yet people struggle not to blame Pogba for the same.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Not surprising. Jose blames everyone but himself.

 

[Adam-Utd]

Yet people struggle not to blame Pogba for the same.

exactly. Rashford is the poor soul when he's targeted, when it's Pogba it's "Jose's right, sell the virus!"

 

[Nick7]

Interesting paragraph in there about Mourinho wanting Maguire but demanding that he not be signed for more than £50m.

 

[Teja]

You could visibly see that the players stopped giving a shit under Mou. The whole thing with Martial and Rashford competing against each other for the LW spot and Sanchez being added as yet another LW option wasn't exactly a masterstroke.

I'm so happy that Levy went for him, they deserve each other.

 

[flappyjay]

Looks like Ed didn't sack Jose to please Pogba as some will have you believe. It was the best decision to keep the squad together. This is news to us but I don't think it's news to club, they probably knew about the talks with Barca.

 

[Sassy Colin]

Players' representatives talk with everybody all the time.

It's the equivalent of looking at an attractive woman even though you're happily married. It only becomes an issue when you take it past a certain point.

A realistic scenario might have been that Barcelona offered a free flight and accommodation in return for a sit down chat with his representatives. And then Rashford's representatives agreed.

You can't control your entourage, and your entourage can't control you.

How is this any more a fantasy than what is in the article?

Interesting paragraph in there about Mourinho wanting Maguire but demanding that he not be signed for more than £50m.

Do you access to the full article? Can you post it?

 

[Dante]

How is this any more a fantasy than what is in the article?


Do you access to the full article? Can you post it?

It's not.

The point is that representatives are a level or two removed from the player. So even if this is true, it's hollow story. We simply don't know (and never will) the full story.

If Rashford were directly involved in pushing the agenda, that would be different. And if we were hearing a lot of these stories, there might be some meat to it.

 

[Rozay]

 

[AltiUn]

If Mourinho had his way he'd have set us further back than even Moyes or LvG, thankfully we didn't even let him get past that December. I know he's still got his fans on here but Jose absolutely had to go, he had no chance of turning things around, any longer and we wouldn't have had a core left to build with.

 

[Samid]

Would have been our KDB/Salah. Glad that cretin isn't our problem anymore.

 

[Nick7]

How is this any more a fantasy than what is in the article?


Do you access to the full article? Can you post it?

I do. I think it’s against the rules to post it though. It’s a fairly standard Andy Mitten article. There’s only a couple of interesting bits.

 

[UncleBob]

Players' representatives talk with everybody all the time.

It's the equivalent of looking at an attractive woman even though you're happily married. It only becomes an issue when you take it past a certain point.

A realistic scenario might have been that Barcelona offered a free flight and accommodation in return for a sit down chat with his representatives. And then Rashford's representatives agreed.

You can't control your entourage, and your entourage can't control you.

Unless it's Pogba

 

[Bebestation]

No offense & I get the theory of hindsight and all but I sometimes look at fans previous posts to see if they ever wanted or were crying for Mourinho before I judge their posts for things like new managers or tactics- the guy never fit in and was just purely selling our soul for success after struggling only for 6 years. Felt utter cheap.

I'd have continued with the previous manager's or stuck with the current ones. Mourinhos success means nothing to me.

 

[Dante]

Unless it's Pogba

Which is why I ignore what Pogba's brother says. The circus around PP is nonsense and shouldn't be taken into account.

But Pogba himself has said he wants to leave, and so has his agent.

An agent saying his client wants to leave is different from an agent sitting down for a meal with a Chairman. The latter is the kind of incidental meeting that an agent uses to build relationships and maintains his business.

Where it steps over the line is actually trying to engineer a transfer and discussing the details of a move: that's a different kettle of fish.

There's nothing to suggest Rashford's entourage took it anywhere. And nor is there any evidence that Rashford wanted it. That's where the difference lies.

 

[SteveJ]

No offense & I get the theory of hindsight and all but I sometimes look at fans previous posts to see if they ever wanted or were crying for Mourinho before I judge their posts for things like new managers or tactics- the guy never fit in and was just purely selling our soul for success after struggling only for 6 years. Felt utter cheap.

I'd have continued with the previous manager's or stuck with the current ones. Mourinhos success means nothing to me.

Not a few football fans live vicariously through Mourinho.
Hell, I'm hypocritical enough - I initially overlooked my dislike of his antics & bought into the notion that 'Jose=success'. So, even I - a longtime critic - was quite willing to sell my soul.

 

[Hawks2008]

Sell him he clearly wants out what a virus are we sure he's really injured?

Blanco texto

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Why do you think the Harry Kane rumours are starting?

 

[Kappa123]

Mourinho is like that one teacher in school that nobody wants to get, the one that clearly doesn't give a feck anymore and now he's just a dick.

LvG was like the boring old Grandpa teacher but those are always the most knowledgable. Even though their teaching methods may be obscure and difficult to parse they are capable of great things still. We should have kept LvG this whole time tbh.

 

[DWelbz19]

God, can you imagine how toxic the club must’ve been with that man as manager? What an omnishambles it was having him in for so long.

 

[LawCharltonBest]

Andy Mitten who has good connections with both clubs said it was true at the time, so i believe it.

Rashford is brilliant. He’d have become a starter there

 

[Sassy Colin]

I do. I think it’s against the rules to post it though. It’s a fairly standard Andy Mitten article. There’s only a couple of interesting bits.

Is that right @Damien ?

 

[Van Piorsing]

I doubt if Rashford wanted ever to do that. I would be more concerned with Martial and Pogba in that regard.

Shaw took heavier blasting from Mourinho and still was focused on United.

 

[horsechoker]

Mes que un inside forward

 

[Rozay]

Tbh, that article seems to be careful to avoid directly saying Rashford has an issue with Jose. To me, it reads like Rashford was exploring his options, and the press need a villain of the story and it obviously wouldn’t be Marcus himself, so they have proposed the manager - on the basis that ‘many players were unhappy under Mourinho’. From my recollection, Rashford was very much trusted and appreciated by Mourinho. Rash, like many footballers, must have been open to having a conversation with Barcelona, especially as we were not in the best place. Upon seemingly finding some direction, he happily stayed here.

 

[thepolice123]

He would have fitted that Henry/Pedro position perfectly for them. Thank feck.

 

[M Bison]

Our fans turned on him as well, we still have the "Burst Rashford's Bubble" thread where he has recently been compared to prime Darren Bent

 

[Nick7]

Andy Mitten who has good connections with both clubs said it was true at the time, so i believe it.

Rashford is brilliant. He’d have become a starter there

The article this is based on is Mitten. So it’s still just him to be fair.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Tbh, that article seems to be careful to avoid directly saying Rashford has an issue with Jose. To me, it reads like Rashford was exploring his options, and the press need a villain of the story and it obviously wouldn’t be Marcus himself, so they have proposed the manager - on the basis that ‘many players were unhappy under Mourinho’. From my recollection, Rashford was very much trusted and appreciated by Mourinho. Rash, like many footballers, must have been open to having a conversation with Barcelona, especially as we were not in the best place. Upon seemingly finding some direction, he happily stayed here.

He flipped out and publically mocked Rashford in the stadium because he missed vs Young Boys Bern.

 

[SteveJ]

Interesting paragraph in there about Mourinho wanting Maguire but demanding that he not be signed for more than £50m.

That sounds like a dispatch from Jose HQ, otherwise known as Duncan Castles' trousers.

 

[pascell]

Thought the Barca interest was common knowledge? It was before he signed his bumper new deal, who knows if it was genuine interest or just made up by his agent for a better deal for his client. The Athletic have added bits and pieces to suit the agenda that Jose wasn't a great fit for us and was creating a very toxic atmosphere.

 

[RedNed77]

Mourinho is like that one teacher in school that nobody wants to get, the one that clearly doesn't give a feck anymore and now he's just a dick.

LvG was like the boring old Grandpa teacher but those are always the most knowledgable. Even though their teaching methods may be obscure and difficult to parse they are capable of great things still. We should have kept LvG this whole time tbh.

Continuing your teacher analogy, LvG was that really boring teacher who’s lessons you fall asleep during. He could be teaching you the secret to eternal life and wealth, but it wouldn’t matter if you were asleep the entire time during the lesson. It bemuses me that anybody misses LvG, he was a character and his pre and lost match interviews were great, but the football was the most boring football I’ve ever seen. It speaks volumes that the entertainment value of the football actually increased when Jose came in.

 

[Rozay]

He flipped out and publically mocked Rashford in the stadium because he missed vs Young Boys Bern.

That’s true. He was his boss. Overall, there was nothing to suggest that Rashford was on his naughty list. He valued him as a player, which was clear I think.

 

[cyberman]

There were rumours at the time but were dismissed because this place thought Marcus was shit and / or not good enough for Barca.
Reports were that Barca had been following him for a long time.