Barcelona move good for Toni Duggan, says England centurion Rachel Yankey
Tuesday 11 July 2017 15:19, UK
Toni Duggan's move to Barcelona is a statement of intent from the Spanish side, according to England legend Rachel Yankey.
Last week, Duggan became just the 13th player outside of Spain to move to the Women's Primera Division.
The 25-year-old is only the second English player in history to join Barcelona, following in the footsteps of Gary Lineker, who made the switch to the Spanish giants from Everton in 1986.
Barcelona reached the semi-finals of last season's UEFA Women's Champions League, the furthest they have ever progressed in the tournament.
"They are a really good club," Yankey told Tuesday's Sportswomen show on Sky Sports News HQ.
"They obviously want to push on and win the Champions League and I think it's a fantastic opportunity for Toni.
"This [move] definitely opens people's eyes up. The season before last Arsenal had three Spanish players coming over to play in England but you don't really see English players going over to play in Spain.
"I don't really know how good or what kind of standard their league is but definitely there is the lure of the Champions League.
"Barcelona have progressed in that tournament for many years. They'll be looking to put the finance in and put the players on the pitch to go out and really impress in the tournament."
Duggan spent four years with Manchester City Women, scoring 31 goals in 74 appearances and helping the team win the league, the Women's FA Cup and two FA Continental Tyres Cups.
She has scored 15 goals in 47 appearances for England and will represent The Lionesses at UEFA Women's Euro 2017 later this month.
