Reintegrating Marcus Rashford is a HUGE risk for Man Utd – Michael Carrick could undo the one thing Ruben Amorim got right
Rashford’s impact at Villa was overblown by the media. Yes, he settled in well and delivered some memorable moments, including a brilliant assist in a 3-2 win over PSG in the Champions League, but he wasn’t consistent, and Villa declined the option to buy him outright for £40m ($54m).
Amorim did not see enough to consider changing his stance at United, either. Rashford was put straight into the manager’s ‘bomb squad’ upon his return to Old Trafford, which meant he had to train away from the first team alongside Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Tyrell Malacia. Aside from Malacia, whose United career was derailed by serious injury, all of those players disrupted the dressing room with their poor attitude.
United were stuck in a cycle of failure because there was no feeling of togetherness or indication that everyone was pulling in the same direction. The first and most important step was to get rid of the deadwood, and Amorim did it in ruthless fashion.
Garnacho and Antony were sold to Chelsea and Real Betis, respectively, and Sancho joined Villa on a season-long loan, while Rashford also secured another temporary move, this time to Barcelona. This business allowed United to complete deals for new players like Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Senne Lammens, all of whom have hit the ground running in Manchester.
Amorim’s footballing vision was ultimately flawed, and he couldn’t bring it all together. But by the time Carrick arrived, proper harmony had been restored to the squad, arguably for the first time in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
