Barthez glad to be back with Marseille

Fabien Barthez admits he is delighted to be back at Marseille even if he has not yet been cleared to play again for the club where he first sprang to prominence.

The France keeper has arrived at the Mediterranean club on a loan deal from Manchester United, where he had fallen out of favour with Sir Alex Ferguson.

The move happened outside the regular transfer season but Marseille are confident they will receive clearance as their reserve goalkeeper Cedric Carasso is injured and therefore they are likely to receive a special dispensation.

Barthez, meanwhile, admits he is delighted to be back at the club where he won the 1993 European Cup, the only time a French outfit have tasted success in European football's top club competition.

"I am delighted to be here," Barthez told Marseille's official website.

"It must be said there are still details to sort out between the clubs and myself but from the moment I learned Manchester and Marseille were talking I was in quite a rush to come here."

Barthez, who started his career with Toulouse but really emerged with Marseille, believes the Stade Velodrome is no step down in class from Old Trafford.

"Manchester are second in the Championship and doing well in the Champions League," said Barthez. "OM are in exactly the same situation. For me, there is no difference between the two."

Barthez, who confirmed the deal was effectively a nine-month loan move, said Marseille was the only club to make a move for him.

"Marseille are a special club for me," he said. "I really started out here. My wish was (to play for) Marseille. I consider I belong here. I have many links with the club and the region.

"It's ideal so I jumped at the chance."

He admitted he was relieved at the prospect of first-team football after falling behind Tim Howard and Roy Carroll in the United pecking order.

Marseille's Croatian goalkeeper Vedran Runje has reportedly had a long chant with OM boss Alain Perrin to indicate his displeasure at the deal but Barthez saw things differently.

"I think he (Runje) is an intelligent person," said Barthez. "We will work in good conditions and enjoy it and we will try and have a good chuckle together at training. There is no reason for it to go badly."