July 23 (Reuters) - England forward Marcus Rashford has joined Barcelona on a 12-month loan deal from Manchester United ( MANU ) with an option to buy, the LaLiga club said on Wednesday.

Media reports said that Barcelona would cover Rashford's wages this season after the player accepted a pay cut, with the option to buy set at around 30 million euros ($35.25 million).

The move came after Manchester-born Rashford, who made 426 senior appearances and scored 138 goals for United in all competitions, fell out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, who called the 27-year-old's workrate into question.

Rashford, who won two FA Cups, two League Cups and a Europa League title with United, joined Aston Villa on loan in February after Amorim said he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.

The forward, who has scored 17 goals for England in 62 appearances, said he was feeling fitter and better after joining Villa, where he netted two goals in 10 league games, while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.

LaLiga champions Barcelona are set to play three pre-season friendlies in Japan and South Korea starting on July 27. ($1 = 0.8511 euros)