When Barcelona was able to acquire an English talent from Arsenal, they allowed the player to train alongside Lionel Messi after the transfer was completed.
After signing Marcus McGuane from Arsenal in January 2018, Barcelona placed the young player, who was only a teenager at the time, on their B-team.
He expressed his excitement by saying, “It feels incredible.” This was on the day that he was invited to train with the club’s first-team, which included Messi.
As soon as you arrive at the first-team training facility, you are the first to enter the dressing room. That initial stroll was sure to excite you. It was Sergio Busquets who I encountered for the first time. Then I saw (Philippe) Coutinho, and then I saw Messi! As a central midfielder, I had the opportunity to witness him in person. He is one of the best players in the world when it comes to the ball, and he possesses grace and technical ability.
In March of 2018, he made his debut for the Spanish giants, appearing in the Supercopa de Catalunya as a substitute in the second half of the match.
It had been 29 years since Gary Lineker had been the first English player to represent the Catalan side, but McGuane made history by becoming the first English player to do so.
In spite of this, the midfielder, who was born in London, did not make any appearances for the club in either the La Liga or the Champions League. Eventually, he left the Camp Nou establishment.
What transpired after Marcus McGuane left Barcelona and what happened to him?
McGuane joined Telstar, a Dutch second-tier club, on loan for the remainder of the season after leaving Barcelona.
While playing in 16 matches across all competitions, he only managed to score one goal before returning to England.
McGuane was acquired by Nottingham Forest in February of 2020. At the time of the signing, Nottingham Forest was competing in the Championship for the first time. In the beginning, he was a member of the under-23 squad.
Similar to his time spent in Spain, he never participated in a league match for Forest and was once again on the move throughout his time there.
During the summer of 2020, Oxford United made a move to acquire McGuane by signing him on loan for the duration of the season. He appeared in 21 games and made a clear impression on Oxford, which resulted in the club extending the transfer to a permanent deal the following summer.
Over the course of his four years with Oxford, he made 152 appearances and flourished under the direction of Liam Manning, who was able to coax the best performance out of the former Arsenal academy star.
Who is Marcus McGuane at this moment?
Since making the move to Barcelona, McGuane has been able to secure the most significant transfer of his career.
Reuniting with his former manager after their time spent together at Oxford, he signed with Bristol City, which is managed by Manning, for an amount that has not been disclosed.
McGuane stated that he ‘owes a lot’ to Manning and disclosed that the manager influenced him to view the sport in a ‘different light’ after he joined City.
As soon as he arrived at Oxford, he completely altered the way I viewed football because of his influence. In an interview with BBC Radio Bristol’s Sound of the City, he stated that “every day, the detail he went into and just him on a personal level makes you want to fight for him and work under him.”
We share a similar perspective on football, and I absolutely adore the way he thinks about the game. He is able to provide me with a stage on which I can let my best self shine through. That is all that you want, regardless of where you are, for all of the players.
As of the time this article was written, McGuane, who is now 26 years old, has participated in 15 games for the Robins in the Championship.
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