The current state of Manchester United is hardly a secret; they are enduring one of the toughest chapters in their storied history, particularly during the Premier League era.
Ruben Amorim has stepped into the managerial role, following a series of others who have attempted to restore past glories at Old Trafford. It remains to be seen if he will meet the same fate as David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ralf Rangnick, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Erik ten Hag.
Unexplainably, none of these managers have succeeded in coming close to the remarkable success enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson. It raises the question of whether the Red Devils have hindered their own progress in recent times.
Meanwhile, Scott McTominay, Antony, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and Mason Greenwood appear to be thriving away from the Theatre of Dreams. But do the statistics support this notion?
McTominay Thriving in Serie A
McTominay, a player whose tenacity would surely benefit a United side languishing in 13th place, has acclimatised seamlessly to Serie A, playing a crucial role in Propanopei’s rise to second place, a mere three points adrift of Inter.
Adapting to a new league, surroundings, and language, he has netted six goals and provided two assists in 28 matches this season—matching his final season’s tally at Old Trafford, where he scored 10 goals and registered three assists, albeit over a significantly larger sample size of 43 matches.
His shooting accuracy stands at 53.9%, just shy of the 57.6% he achieved in the 2023/24 season with United. What’s more, he’s thriving in the freedom afforded to him by Antonio Conte in the midfield.
With 689 passes completed (585 successful), McTominay has outperformed his final Premier League season at United, where he recorded 643 passes (524 successful). With eight matches remaining in the Italian top flight, he could yet clinch some silverware.
Following Marcus Rashford’s exclusion from the United first team under Amorim, a move away was always on the cards, with Aston Villa now reaping the rewards of his resurgence.
Although it took some time for him to regain his rhythm—understandably so—scoring three goals and providing four assists in 11 matches represents a solid return. Notably, he only managed seven goals and three assists across 24 outings for United in 2024/25.
Like McTominay, the 27-year-old England international has been liberated from the heavy expectations that burdened him at Old Trafford, allowing him to perform at a higher level.
Marcus Rashford’s Resurgence After Villa Switch
Unai Emery clearly saw potential in Rashford, and as the season progresses, the winger is beginning to show his value.
During his time at Villa, Rashford boasts an impressive 87.5% shooting accuracy, one of the highest rates in his career over the past three seasons. His tally of 12 shots on target for his new club is only three shy of the total he achieved at United from August 2024 to February 2025.
His pass accuracy at Villa Park has topped 92%, just shy of his 93.3% in this season’s Community Shield, his best performance in this statistic in recent years.
Often under scrutiny for his work-rate, Rashford has achieved a 100% success rate in his three tackles during Europa League matches for United this season and has regained possession from opponents 66.7% of the time at Villa Park—equal to his performance from the 2022/23 season with United and the second highest rate since 2021/22.
Meanwhile, fellow wingers Jadon Sancho and Antony have also secured loan moves.
Antony has recorded two goals and two assists in eight matches, a notable improvement compared to the solitary strike and one assist collected in his 29 appearances at United prior to his move to Real Betis.
His four fast breaks with Betis is the highest return he has achieved in the last two seasons. Additionally, he has contested 88 duels in LaLiga this season—a staggering 60 more than he managed in the first half of the league campaign with the Red Devils.
The Brazilian’s 37 ball recoveries at Betis is also the third-best total he has achieved in the past three seasons.
For Jadon Sancho, despite an abundance of talent, he’s yet to be regarded as a prolific goalscorer. Therefore, two goals and four assists for Chelsea this season may seem modest.
Nonetheless, when considering his recent best of six goals and three assists in the 22/23 Premier League season, this output may not appear as underwhelming upon closer inspection.
Moreover, his four fast breaks with Chelsea surpass his recent form at United. Additionally, his 18 total shots at goal are just three shy of his best performance in the past couple of seasons.
Sancho’s passing accuracy of 94.1% is his best in the recent years for the Premier League titleholders, aside from a perfect 100% during the Community Shield—though that came with two passes in total, hardly significant.
Mason Greenwood’s Promising Start in Ligue 1
Last but not least, Mason Greenwood, who faced public scrutiny over personal issues, had no choice but to acknowledge that his immediate future would not lie with Manchester United.
It’s unfortunate because his potential to be a significant attacking threat for the Red Devils was evident, but public backlash left him with limited options at the club.
Cynics might note that with only six goals and two assists in all competitions for United in 2021/22, the club wasn’t missing much. However, while it’s easy to critique, failing to deliver does lead to exposure.
For Greenwood, it seems he has channeled any frustration into his performances against opposition defences, initially making waves in LaLiga and now in Ligue 1.
At Getafe, Greenwood managed an impressive 10 goals and six assists in one season. Now, with Marseille, he has already registered 16 goals and three assists across all competitions. His 15 quick breaks double what he achieved during his time at United three seasons ago.
The number of fouls won in the attacking third of the pitch during the 21/22 Premier League season pales in comparison to the 16 he has won at Getafe and the 12 he has secured at Marseille, highlighting the importance of getting him on the ball as often as possible.
While Greenwood’s success rate in one-on-one duels is slightly lower than in his United days, his overall involvement this season has far exceeded his previous output, having contested 243 duels in Ligue 1—over 100 more than his total of 131 in the 21/22 season.
His pass accuracy of 83.7% from 1015 passes at Marseille also compares favourably to the 83.8% from just 464 passes during the entire 21/22 campaign.
The common thread among these players appears to be that none are worse off for having left Old Trafford, and in many cases, they may be significantly better off.
Whether any of these players will return from their loan spells this summer is uncertain, as Manchester United’s recruitment policy continues to face intense scrutiny, regardless of how the current season concludes.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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