A former Manchester United star, whom Erik ten Hag sold, is ‘exactly the player’ Ruben Amorim needs in his Red Devils team.
That is the opinion of Gary Lineker, who believes the brilliant form of ex-United players is proof that something is ‘a bit rotten’ at Old Trafford.
Though there are six games still to play, 2024/25 has already been confirmed as United’s worst Premier League season ever, with the club very likely to finish in the bottom-half of the table.
They could still finish the campaign on a high however having progressed to the semi-finals of the Europa League following a remarkable comeback victory against Lyon on Thursday night.
Five months on from his appointment, the Red Devils are still struggling to get to grips with Amorim’s tactics and 3-4-2-1 formation, while those who have left Manchester in the past year are faring much better at their new clubs.
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Marcus Rashford at Aston Villa and Aaron Wan-Bissaka at West Ham have been in good form, as has Scott McTominay who was sold to Napoli last summer for £26million.
The midfielder has nine goals and four assists for Antonio Conte’s side who are second in Serie A and just three points behind Inter Milan.
The Scotland international was an important player for United last season, scoring 10 goals, but was let go for financial reasons, a decision Lineker believes has backfired massively.
‘Talking about players that have left Manchester United, Scott McTominay scored two more goals – one of them an absolute beauty – for Napoli at the beginning of the week,’ the England legend said on The Rest is Football podcast.
‘It’s remarkable how well some of the United players that were there are doing and it just jumped into my head because Scott McTominay is exactly the player that would actually work in an Amorim system. He’s what they need.
‘I know they were half-forced to sell him because of PSR [Profit and Sustainability Rules] and he’s a local lad, which we all think is nonsensical and a ridiculous feature of this particular rule.
‘But there’s him, Rashford looks like a different human being… so it suggests and all the evidence is there that it’s kind of a bit rotten at United at the minute.’
As Lineker notes, Rashford has been given a new lease of life while on loan at Villa Park, though it remains to be seen whether Unai Emery will take up the option to buy the England forward for £40m.
‘As far as Marcus is concerned, you just get your head down and keep playing, keep performing at this sort of level, then things will take care of itself,’ the former striker added.
‘What he does at the end of the season, who knows? I can’t see him back at Manchester United but what he’s doing now, if he keeps scoring goals and creating chances…
‘We know, when Marcus is on it, he’s an absolutely enthralling footballer. So let’s hope he can carry on until the end of the season.
‘If he does that, if he keeps his form, then he’ll have really good choices at the end of the season, whether it’s to go back to Manchester United, whether Aston Villa try to keep him or whether other clubs go, “This is the Rashford we know”.’
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