Man United backed Ruben Amorim to the hilt over the summer, not only spending over £200 million on new attacking players, but deciding to show some of their highest value assets the door either permanently or on loan.
There’s a long-running joke that players only start performing once they leave Manchester United. Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Antony, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund have all moved on — each finding varying degrees of success at their new clubs.
Now that we’re a few games into the season, which of Amorim’s former exiles are enjoying their new lives, and who is still struggling.
Antony – Real Betis
The 25-year-old had his heart set on a return to Real Betis this summer following a successful six-month spell at the club last season; reported offers from Saudi Arabia and elite European sides weren’t going to change his mind.
Antony is yet to return to the form that made Betis decide to splash £25 million to secure his services, a lot of money for a historically broke club, but he did make a major contribution against Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest when they met in the Europa League.
He provided the assist for Cedric Bakambu's opener, but as the game headed into the final few minutes, Forest were leading 2-1. Antony scored a decisive equalizer in the 85th minute to rescue a point.
There shouldn’t be any concern amongst the Betis fans regarding Antony’s form so far. His lack of a pre-season will have played a huge role as to why he’s not quite at full match fitness. Given time, expect to see some great goals do the rounds on social media.
Grade – C
Marcus Rashford – Barcelona
Many had suggested that Rashford, 27, had failed upwards when he ended up at Barcelona this summer, but since then, he’s starting to prove some of the doubters wrong having already bagged three goals and five assists for the La Liga holders.
It’s not unfair to suggest that Rashford was a third choice for Barcelona, who were heavily pursuing Athletic Club’s Nico Williams and then former Liverpool forward Luis Diaz before both deals fell through for various financial reasons.
Hansi Flick was the main driving force behind the move, with those a little further up the food chain having doubts about the forward’s application and willingness to put in the hard work that he would need to in order to succeed at the club.
Now, he’s averaging a goal or assist every 88 minutes on average so far this season, assisting 4 and scoring 3 in just 616 minutes and is back in contention for a place at next year’s World Cup. It couldn’t be going much better!
Grade – A
Alejandro Garnacho – Chelsea
Enzo Maresca’s side ended up forking out £40 million to secure the Argentinian’s signature and end of the longest transfer sagas of the summer. The move divided fans, but they have since gotten behind Garnacho as he adapts to a new club.
Garnacho is yet to score or provide an assist for his new club, but there have been glimpses of magic. His substitute appearance in the 2-2 draw with Brentford pretty much summed him up, playing a crucial role in Chelsea’s second goal, but then losing his man for the home side’s equalizer.
The winger’s performance in the late 2-1 win over Liverpool was easily his best by far. Maresca backed him to work well with Marc Cucurella to isolate right-back Conor Bradley while Mohamed Salah stayed forward, with a good amount of success, particularly in the first half.
He’s still raw, and it will probably take him some time to really get going at his new club, again considering he didn’t have a pre-season. There are signs that Chelsea may well have signed one of the league’s most exciting young players, however.
Grade – C
Jadon Sancho – Aston Villa
Sancho remains a mystery to everyone. He had plenty of opportunities to try and revive his career in Italy, both Juventus and Roma reportedly agreed deals with Man United only for the player to turn them down.
Just like last summer, it was a transfer deadline day loan that ended up materializing for the 25-year-old, this time joining Rashford’s old stomping ground, Aston Villa with no option or ‘obligation’ to buy for Unai Emery’s side.
The winger has since made just three appearances for his new club, with only eight of his 114 minutes across all competitions so far coming in the Premier League. He is also yet to score or provide an assist for Villa.
He still has one-year left on his Man United contract, although they have the option to extend it by a further 12-months, which feels incredibly unlikely. Sancho is starting to feel like one of those players that never lives up to the early hype and fades into irrelevance.
Grade – D
Rasmus Hojlund – Napoli
There have been few occasions when a move suited a player so well, a stark contrast to his time at United. Standing at 6’3”, Hojlund was often characterised as a target man during his time at the club, with fans often bemoaning about his lack of service.
Now under Antonio Conte and with Kevin de Bruyne behind him, he’s getting the EXACT kind of service he needs. The Italian manager wants his midfielder to play quick through balls between the lines, allowing Hojlund to use his pace to run into the right channels.
As a result, the big Dane is in the form of his life, already with four goals from his first six games for Napoli, he also starred for his country during the October international break, scoring a brace and providing an assist in the 6-0 win over Belarus before scoring again in the 3-1 victory over Greece.
Napoli have an obligation to buy in their loan deal for around £40 million, a feel that could prove to be a bargain for a 22-year-old striker with a serious point to prove following a disappointing spell at one of the world’s biggest clubs.
Grade – A+
Andre Onana – Trabzonspor
Following the arrival of Senne Lammens from Belgian side Royal Antwerp for a report fee of £21 million, Onana, 29, was told to find a new club. By that time, a majority of the European window was closed, leaving Turkey as his most likely destination.
Trabzonspor came in with a loan offer that would see the Cameroonian earn more money after he complained about seeing his wage cut when United failed to qualify for the Champions League at the end of last season.
Unsurprisingly, there have been some inconsistencies since he joined. Onana impressed on his debut in their 1-0 defeat to Fenerbahce, but questions were asked about his save that led to their eventual winner.
This is a straight loan deal for the Turkish side with no option or obligation to buy the ‘keeper. It feels like a move where the players is using a club to try and secure a move to a bigger one in the future. Onana has the ability to be a top goalkeeper, he proved that at Inter Milan, he just needs to do it all over again.
Grade – B