Barcelona sporting director Deco has explained why the Spanish giants opted to sign Anthony Gordon instead of making Marcus Rashford’s loan move permanent.

Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona, scoring 14 goals in all competitions and helping the club win La Liga and the Copa del Rey. Barcelona had the option to sign the England forward permanently for £30.3 million (€35 million), but decided against the move.

Instead, Barcelona made Gordon one of their major summer signings, bringing the England winger from Newcastle United in a deal worth more than €80 million (£69.3 million).

As reported by BBC, according to Deco, the decision was based largely on Gordon’s suitability to Hansi Flick’s style of football.

“We are extremely grateful to Rashford,” Deco said. “He contributed a lot last season, but our idea of play is much more linked to Anthony’s. His style fits with what the coach is looking for.”

Deco explained that Barcelona wanted to add more energy and intensity to their attack, particularly when Raphinha was unavailable.

“In the case of Gordon, we saw that he was one of the figures we needed,” he said. “When Raphinha wasn’t on the pitch, the team lost energy and with him we could solve it.”

The Barcelona sporting director added that the club had analysed several wingers before settling on Gordon, with Flick playing an important role in identifying the qualities they wanted.

“We needed more intensity. We analysed a lot of wingers,” Deco said. “But \[Flick\] was clear with what he wanted and we worked on a deal from there.”

Gordon has made an impressive start to life at Barcelona, registering four assists in his first five appearances.

The Catalan giants have also begun the new La Liga campaign strongly, winning all four of their matches while scoring 17 goals and conceding just two.

For Deco, Gordon’s arrival was therefore less about replacing Rashford and more about finding a player whose qualities matched Flick’s vision for Barcelona.