Marcus Rashford has revealed how Frenkie de Jong has played an important role in helping him communicate with his new Barcelona team-mates. The long-time Manchester United target's English-speaking skills were brought to light when Rashford shared his experiences of settling into life at Barcelona.

The forward found himself excluded from United's first-team training sessions during pre-season by head coach Ruben Amorim, following a falling out last December which resulted in him being banished from the squad and loaned out to Aston Villa until the end of the 2024/25 season. The England international, 27, finally completed his dream move to Barcelona last month, albeit on loan until the end of this season. Rashford has gone on to enjoy a strong start for his new club in pre-season, scoring a goal and providing two assists in four appearances for the reigning Spanish champions. And playing a key role in his transition has been Dutch midfielder De Jong, who once upon a time might have ended up at Old Trafford himself.

Rashford was asked byGary Lineker on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast what the main language in the Barcelona dressing room is, given that it was predominantly Spanish and Catalan during Lineker's time with the club in the late-1980s.

Rashford started off by saying: "It's still Spanish, a lot of the lads speak Catalan, but the easy thing for me is that a lot of the lads understand English. So I've just been picking up on the basics on the pitch, which I think I've done quite quickly."

Having used Duolingo to brush up on his Spanish over the summer and now taking face-to-face lessons since his move to Catalonia, Rashford elaborated on how De Jong has assisted him in settling in.

He continued: "There are good people who are like a bridge. Frenkie [de Jong] speaks really good English, Jules [Kounde] speaks very good English, but they also have good Spanish because they've been here a few years.

"But on the pitch, honestly it's easier than what I thought it would be. Also football overall, I know a lot of people say it, but it's a language in itself and it's easy to communicate through the general vibe on the pitch."

During Erik ten Hag's time as United manager, De Jong was regularly linked with the Red Devils, which could explain why he has developed an excellent command of English. It was reported that discussions took place between the club and player in the summer of 2022, but De Jong was hesitant due to United's lack of Champions League football and his desire to stay in Barcelona.

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United and Barcelona reportedly settled on an initial fee of around £56million, suggesting that the Spanish giants were prepared to sell the midfielder. However, De Jong declined the move, leading United to sign Casemiro instead.

The Red Devils' interest was sporadically reported the following two years, with tenuous rumours of renewed interest. De Jong, whose current contract runs until 2026, quashed any further speculation this year by telling Sports Illustrated he hopes to extend his contract until 2029.