'I will miss him' - Hansi Flick breaks silence as Barcelona snub £26m Marcus Rashford deal

Flick has acknowledged that the club will miss Rashford after deciding against a permanent transfer for the United loanee. The Spanish giants held an option to sign the 28-year-old winger for £26 million this summer. However, Blaugrana ultimately chose not to execute that clause. They instead elected to strengthen their attack by signing Gordon from Newcastle in a deal worth around £70m.

Flick addressed Rashford's departure during his post-match press conference following Barcelona's pre-season friendly against Birmingham City on Friday night. The manager made no secret of his admiration for the England international.

"What I can say about Marcus is I appreciate a lot to work with him," Flick admitted, as quoted by ManchesterEveningNews. "Sometimes it's not always that you do know what happens with players who are on loan.

"I think our situation is not easy for that. But I appreciate working with him a lot; he's a fantastic player and a fantastic person. I think also the team miss him, I will miss him, but it's life, this is what we have to accept."

Rashford enjoyed an impressive loan campaign at the Camp Nou last term, establishing himself as a key contributor in attack. The forward registered 14 goals and 11 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions for the Catalan side. Following the decision not to keep him, Rashford took to Instagram on Thursday to formally thank the club and its supporters.

"I'm very grateful to everyone at the club for making my time here such a positive and memorable experience," Rashford said. "I've enjoyed every moment and will take many special memories with me. I wish the club and all its supporters the very best of luck and every success in the season ahead. Visca el Barca."

With his spell in Spain now concluded, Rashford is due to report back to United for pre-season training. The academy graduate will return once his extended break following his participation at the World Cup comes to an end. Meanwhile, Barcelona are well underway with their own summer preparations. Flick's side played out a 2-2 draw with Birmingham at St Andrew's on Friday night before losing on penalties.