Marcus Rashford will wear his idol’s shirt number at Barcelona and it may come as a surprise

Marcus Rashford will wear his idol’s shirt number at Barcelona but it may surprise followers of the England international.

Rashford is on the verge of joining Barcelona on a season-long loan from Manchester United, with the forward due to be unveiled by the Spanish giants this evening.

The 27-year-old will take a pay cut to join the Catalans but he will remain one of the highest-paid players in Europe.

If his spell in Spain goes well, then Barcelona have the option to sign him for just €30 million next summer.

According to Mundo Deportivo, it has already been decided that Rashford will wear the number 14 at Barcelona.

It is the same shirt that was worn by Rashford's idol Thierry Henry, who spent three years at Barcelona, most notably forming part of their treble-winning side in 2009.

Although for many football fans, Henry is more well-known for his time at Arsenal and he is widely considered as the greatest player in Premier League history.

Thierry Henry famously donned the No.14 at Arsenal. (Image: Getty)

The number 14 has also been famously worn by another icon of the game - Johan Cruyff at Ajax.

Cruyff won three Ballon d'Ors during his playing career, which also included six years at Barcelona, although he did not wear the number 14 shirt in Spain.

What number has Marcus Rashford worn before?

For Rashford, it will be a new experience wearing the number 14.

When he first broke through at Manchester United during the 2015/16 season, he wore the number 39 shirt.

But after an impressive breakthrough, he was given number 19.

He wore this for two seasons before taking the iconic number 10, which Wayne Rooney had previously worn for several years.

When Rashford moved to Aston Villa on loan he had to change his shirt number again.

But following Jhon Duran's departure, the number nine jersey was vacant and Rashford took it for what proved to be a mixed spell in the Midlands.

Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford were teammates at United. (Image: Getty)

What did Paul Pogba say about Rashford's move?

Former teammate Paul Pogba played 233 games for United across two spells but he struggled to win over the United faithful and can resonate with Rashford's own struggles at United.

But he remains one of football's most high-profile figures and was quick to praise a player he still rates highly.

Speaking to IShowSpeed recently, he said: "That's crazy, but I'm happy for him because they took his number.

"Manchester United are losing a great player - unlucky for them.

"It's great for Barcelona to be honest. I'm not even talking about United because they've bought a few new player and the new manager wants to do his thing I guess."