Ex-Barcelona president lets it known exactly what he thinks of Marcus Rashford transfer

Marcus Rashford is better than Nico Williams according to former Barcelona president, Joan Gaspart. The England international arrived at the Camp Nou on a season-long loan from Manchester United with a £26million option to buy earlier this summer, with his long-term future at Old Trafford far from certain.

At 27 and in the prime of his playing career, Rashford will go down as one of the most impressive Manchester United academy graduates of all time, but that hasn't prevented him from falling out of favour with new boss, Ruben Amorim. Rashford was dropped by the Portuguese head coach midway through last season and subsequently went on loanto Aston Villa in February.

With his future in the north west still up in the air, he has since joined Barcelona for the upcoming season. Rashford's journey to Catalonia was far from smooth sailing, however, with Barcelona seemingly favouring other top talents this summer before opting for the England international.

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Not only did Barcelona register an interest in Liverpool's Luis Diaz, only to be told that the Colombian wasn't for sale, but they also neared the completion of a deal for Athletic Club's Williams, which reportedly fell through at the eleventh hour due to a dispute with regards to a release clause and La Liga registration.

Williams instead returned to Bilbao, before signing a 10-year extension which will see him at the Estadio de Sans Mames until 2035, while Barcelona landed Rashford on a temporary basis. And while many fans of the La Liga giants will be disappointed that they didn't sign Spain international Williams, Gaspart believes that Rashford is more talented than the 23-year-old left winger.

Speaking to El 10 de Barca, Gaspart said: "First of all, for me, Marcus Rashford is better than Nico. From here on, I don’t care what Inaki [Williams, Nico's brother] might say. The player has used us in a good way – he’s gotten a good contract, and I’m happy for him.

"I don’t understand Athletic’s anger. I’ve signed many players from Bilbao, and always got along with their president. This is in the past. We have to focus on the season and trust the squad and the exceptional coach we have."

It comes as Inaki lambasted Barcelona for their handling of Williams' potential transfer, claiming that they orchestrated a "media campaign" to lure his younger brother away from Bilbao. He alleged: "They launched a media campaign they thought would work. Many of the things said were lies. People weren’t fair to my brother this summer."

He added: "The external noise ruined a lot. At Athletic, we go about things quietly. We don’t leak false stories to pressure players," as well as: "My brother had options everywhere. But he stayed. He’ll play with his family, friends, and girlfriend close by. That means more than money or trophies."

Rashford made his unofficial debut for Barcelona in a pre-season friendly against Vissel Kobe last month. The Englishman entered the fray as a half-time substitute for Raphinha, but only graced the pitch for 30 minutes before he was substituted off.

While the incident may have looked a little disrespectful from the outside looking in, manager Hansi Flick was quick to clear the air, explaining that it was a tactical decision to monitor the forward's fitness. He said after the 3-1 win: "We're being very careful with Marcus because he just came from an injury and he hasn't started training completely with the ball.

"He's a week behind the others. He hasn't been training as much with the ball, and we want to look after him."

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