Marcus Rashford reveals reason for leaving Man Utd and claims Lamine Yamal will 'definitely' win Ballon d'Or award

Rashford has signed for Barcelona from Manchester United on a season-long loan after a difficult spell with the Red Devils. The forward fell out of favour under Ruben Amorim and spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa but failed to earn a permanent transfer to Unai Emery's side. He is now hoping to reignite his career in Catalunya, with Hansi Flick's side having the option to sign him permanently at the end of the season.

Rashford faces a battle for minutes at Barcelona with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Ferran Torres around but will be hoping he can rise to the challenge. The forward has revealed he moved on in search of happiness and says that Barcelona is the best place in the world to enjoy playing football.

He told Sport: "I need to be happy to play my best football. For me personally... Football is my life. You know? It's been my life since I was very, very young. Actually, I don't know anything else. So the bond I have, not only with my career but with sport in general, is huge and I don't expect it to go away. But yes, it's always good to be happy when you play football. It's the reason I started in this.

"You never know for sure, but from the beginning I have felt comfortable. On the pitch, of course I'll learn more with each game. But the starting point is very good. The more matches that come, the more I'll learn. Barça is the easiest place to enjoy and learn football."

Rashford then went on to hail new team-mate Lamine Yamal, who he believes will win the Ballon d'Or. He said: "Yes, definitely. If you don't win it this year, you'll win it in the future. [Ousmane] Dembélé, Raphinha, they all deserve it. It's hard to pick one, but they're all mature and have had a fantastic season. Lamine is so young that he is sure to win it.

"He's a top talent, a top player. The most surprising thing is how mature he is for his age. How he thinks and plays. He is well above his age. It's exciting to play with him and others as well. I'm adapting to the change of environment, rhythm and football, and the best place to do that is on the pitch. I will make mistakes, but I will also learn a lot and improve. The quality of the players helps a lot."

Rashford made his La Liga debut off the bench for Barcelona in a 3-0 win over Real Mallorca last time out and will be hoping for more minutes on Saturday away at Levante.