Wonderkid who Arsenal sold to Barcelona is now forging career in League One

Oxford United's September Player of the Month award was won by midfielder Marcus McGuane.

The 24-year-old from Greenwich has been a mainstay at the heart of the side since joining them permanently in 2021, but he may have set his sights a bit higher earlier in his career.

McGuane is a product of Arsenal's Hale End Academy, and joined the club at the age of six. He went on to captain his boyhood club at the U18 level, and was part of a setup that included current Gunners striker Eddie Nketiah, and Newcastle United ace Joe Willock.

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After spending 12 years in north London, he followed in the footsteps of his hero Thierry Henry in switching to Catalan giants Barcelona.

The youngster was highly touted, and Saul Isaksson-Hurst, one of the midfielder's private coaches at the time, stated: “He is one of the most dedicated and driven young players that I have worked with and I know he has a big future in front of him.”

A new deal was in the works, but the former England U18 captain sought Spain, despite apparent interest from, the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Napoli and Juventus.

The 2018 Catalan Super Cup saw McGuane become the first Englishmen to play for Barcelona since Gary Lineker, and he featured over 20 times for Barcelona's B-side in the second division of Spain.

Despite reaching these lofty heights however, the pathway through to the first team was difficuilt, and opportunities were so scarce that he slowly fell out of love with the game.

Andries Jonker was the coach who handed the midfielder a lifeline. Dutch second-tier club Telstar hired the ex-Arsenal academy manager in the summer of 2019, and speaking to The Sun, he revealed how he saw McGuane's struggles and wanted to help.

Jonker said: "Marcus said, ‘I’m not enjoying football anymore, I need to rediscover it. You can help me.'

"I heard he moved to Barcelona. I've been there. It is very, very difficult to come through. On one hand, I was proud of him. On the other, I thought, 'Is this the right thing to do?'

"He decided he wanted to come back to me and enjoy football again.”

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This loan was a turning point in McGuane's career, as he played 14 times and scored his first senior goal. After returning to Catalonia, Nottingham Forest scooped him up.

McGuane never featured for Forest, however, as he was sent right out to Oxford on loan, and made his move permanent after impressing then U's boss Karl Robinson.

Perhaps the biggest match in his career came as he faced his boyhood club Arsenal in an FA Cup third-round-tie this January. A turbulent career had come full circle, from Walthamstow to the Blaugrana, McGuane was coming up against his mates.

Robinson stated at the time of the clash: "He (McGuane) doesn’t buy into the industry, he just loves playing football."

And loving football is exactly what he's doing now. McGuane couldn't conquer Arsenal, but his sights are set lower. He is one of Oxford's pivotal players, and a stapled-in first-teamer.

It goes to show that if you're dubbed 'the next Paul Pogba' and that big move doesn't work out, heading to lower leagues can reignite that spark for the game.

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