Barcelona sporting director Deco has explained the club's decision to go after Anthony Gordon this summer, even after Marcus Rashford's successful loan spell at Camp Nou last season. The Catalan giants chose to change direction, putting Gordon's particular profile first to meet the tactical requirements of new head coach Hansi Flick rather than chasing a permanent deal for the Manchester United forward.

Rashford returns to United as Barca spend big on Gordon

Rashford had a productive loan spell in Catalonia last season. The Manchester United attacker scored 14 goals and helped Barcelona win both the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup. In spite of that success, the Spanish champions eventually decided not to activate the €30m (£26m) option to sign him permanently.

Instead, the Blaugrana made an ambitious €70m (£59m) move for Gordon from Newcastle. The 25-year-old winger was viewed as a better tactical fit for the new set-up and arrived as part of a busy summer recruitment drive that also brought Rodri, Joao Cancelo, Karim Adeyemi, Gabriel Jesus and Dominik Livakovic to Camp Nou.

Deco outlines the need for intensity and Flick's demands

Speaking to RAC1, Deco gave an insight into the difficult decision to allow Rashford to return to England. "We are extremely grateful to Rashford," the sporting director said. "He contributed a lot last season, but our idea of play is much more linked to Anthony. His style fits with what the coach is looking for."

The former Portugal international went further in explaining the thinking behind the move for Gordon, pointing to a lack of spark in the squad in previous campaigns. "We see every training session and analyse the team," Deco added. "We have a clear idea what we're looking for. One of the areas we struggled last season, without Raphinha, was that the team's energy dropped. It was lost.

"We needed more intensity. We analysed a lot of wingers. Signing someone from the Premier League is almost impossible, but [Flick] was clear with what he wanted and we worked on a deal from there."

Silva joins Real Madrid after playing time dispute

While Gordon arrived to add dynamism, another high-profile target got away. Bernardo Silva ultimately chose to join fierce Clasico rivals Real Madrid. The collapse in talks with the former Manchester City captain was mainly due to assurances over minutes rather than only financial limitations.

"He wasn't what we were looking for in the end," Deco explained. "I love him. He's one of the best in the world in his position. He wanted to come to Barça, but things didn't move forward because we have certain parameters. It wasn't just a financial issue, it was also about playing time."

Deco stressed that guarantees over playing time remain strictly under Flick's control, adding: "It's not up to me to say if he is going to play or not, that's the coach's decision. But he had a different perception to us after playing [regularly] at City. He wanted to play."

Flick expects continued creative output from his new winger

Gordon is already making a clear impact in Spain. Although he is yet to score, the England international has produced five assists in his first five appearances for the club, matching a La Liga record.

He has quickly become a favourite with the Camp Nou crowd, receiving loud backing and hearing his name chanted by supporters during a commanding 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano. Flick will depend on his energetic forward to keep up this impressive creative run as Barcelona chase more domestic and European success this season.