Barcelona made something of a surprise move over the summer, signing Anthony Gordon and turning down the chance to keep Marcus Rashford and sporting director Deco has explained why.
Rashford was on loan at Barca from Manchester United last season and played a substantial role for them, making 49 appearances in all competitions and scoring 14 goals as they won La Liga.
The Spanish giants could have made the temporary move permanent for just £26 million at the end of last season but opted against doing so.
Instead they signed Gordon from Newcastle United for around £69m and Rashford returned to Manchester United.
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It was something of a surprise move from Barcelona but Deco has offered an explanation as to why they wanted one England international winger and not the other.
The former Portugal star was clear that Gordon brings more intensity and energy, which is what manager Hansi Flick was looking for.
‘We are extremely grateful to Rashford,’ Deco told RAC1. ‘He contributed a lot last season, but our idea of play is much more linked to Anthony. His style fits with what the coach is looking for.
‘We see every training session and analyse the team. We have a clear idea what we’re looking for. One of the areas we struggled last season, without Raphinha, was that the team’s energy dropped. It was lost.
‘We needed more intensity. We analysed a lot of wingers. Signing someone from the Premier League is almost impossible, but [Hansi Flick] was clear with what he wanted and we worked on a deal from there.’
Gordon has already made five appearances for Barcelona, providing assists in La Liga wins over Elche, Rayo Vallecano and Valencia, but is still looking for his first goal.
Rashford has returned to first team duties with the Red Devils, starting two of Manchester United’s three Premier League games so far this campaign.
Deco also spoke out on another summer transfer saga as Bernardo Silva was linked with a move to Barcelona from Manchester City, but ended up going to Real Madrid.
‘He wasn’t what we were looking for in the end. I love him. He’s one of the best in the world in his position,’ said the Barca sporting director.
‘He wanted to come to Barca, but things didn’t move forward because we have certain parameters. It wasn’t just a financial issue, it was also about playing time.
‘It’s not up to me to say if he is going to play or not, that’s the coach’s decision. But he had a different perception to us after playing [regularly] at City. He wanted to play.’