In 2020, Barcelona seriously considered signing Marcus Rashford, but missing out on the Englishman may have been a blessing in disguise as they now have a real chance of securing a better Manchester United graduate in Mason Greenwood.
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In 2019, Luis Suarez was on his last legs in Catalonia as he was no longer the same dynamic and explosive striker the five-time European champions had brought to the Camp Nou only five years prior, and Barca were keen on orchestrating a succession plan. Among the names on their list of budding world-class attackers was Manchester's very own Rashford.
During the 2019/20 campaign, the England international scored a career-high 17 goals in the Premier League as he began to show glimpses of what was considered his superstar potential, and with his contract poised to expire at the end of that season, the Blaugrana saw him as the perfect replacement for their Uruguayan legend.
Ultimately, the Red Devils academy graduate decided against moving to LALIGA, and instead opted to be part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's revolution at Old Trafford as he finished with a then-career best goals (22) and assists (12) record in all competitions. Seeing how the 26-year-old's career has panned out since, however, the England international has not really set the world alight the same way the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland have, and has struggled for world-class consistency since.
In 2022/23, he scored a new career high in goals (30) but already this season, the attacker looks a shadow of the previous campaign's version of himself. His form has led to some United fans even claiming that it's time for the winger to leave the club as he does not look like a player who can evolve beyond what we have seen. And given his recent performances, it is hard to imagine the likes of Barca returning for him.
Now, it looks as though the chiefs at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper have turned their attention to another United academy graduate in Mason Greenwood. The 22-year-old has always been regarded as a prodigious young talent, and at the Theatre of Dreams, you could see that he could one become a very special player.
The promising versatile attacker recently lost a year and a half of his professional career after he was charged with attempted rape, assault and coercive control in early 2022. It looked as though his career was over, but after key witnesses decided against testifying against him, the charges were dropped and the one-cap England international was free to resume his football career.
United did not want to have to deal with the media storm of reintegrating Greenwood back into the institution, having reportedly faced internal backlash as well as a barrage of scrutiny from the media over his possible return to the first team.
The record Premier League winners decided to ultimately ship him out on loan to Getafe in the Spanish top flight, and while the attacker may have been facing the same trepidations Rashford did when pondering the possibility of moving to Spain, Greenwood had no choice but to overcome those fears as his livelihood was on the line.
The Bradford native, however, took little time to adapt to life on the pitch in the Iberian Peninsula, and has arguably been the Deep Blue Ones' best player this season and one of the best performers in the entire league. Greenwood may only have five goals and four assists in all competitions for his new team but his impact goes beyond statistical metrics. His ability to drive with the ball and get multiple defenders to commit to him creates spaces for other players to thrive, an element of his game that is not quantifiable by goals and assists.
Getafe have gone from relegation strugglers to a team sitting comfortably in mid-table, and perhaps not coincidentally, this is at a time when Greenwood is at the club.
It seems however, that his stint on the outskirts of Madrid will be short-lived as bigger Spanish sides are believed to be poised to make a massive push to land the Englishman's services. Barca, in recent weeks, seem to be the team heaviest linked with signing him as they are believed to have sent scouts to see him six times, and on each occasion they are said to have been immensely impressed.
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With good reason, too. He can use both feet, is an amazing dribbler, is able to deliver crosses at a high level, is clinical for a player playing predominately on the wing and his close control with the pace he runs at are all attributes that make him better than Rashford, and will undoubtedly have a better football legacy than his compatriot. He may need to create a better habit of looking up for teammates more often, but should Barca decide to agree to the mooted £40 million (R960 million) price tag United have placed on him, they will be getting a bargain.
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