It should've been a Manchester derby to celebrate for the Ruben Amorim-led Red Devils, after they defeated Manchester City 2-1 thanks to a pair of late goals. Instead the afterm has led to questions surrounding the future of key players Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho ahead of a Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham on Thursday (you can catch all the action across Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network). The duo were left out of United's squad for their victory over Manchester City and have had quite different beginnings to the week after.
Garnacho collected a Puskas' Award for his strike against Everton last season, while Rashford is hinting that his time at United could be coming to an end. An academy product who is only 27, Rashford has had quite a ride with the Red Devils, but his favored left wing position is something that doesn't fit Amorim's 3-4-3, which has the two forwards take up narrow attacking positions supporting a striker, usually Rasmus Hojlund.
"For me, personally, I think I'm ready for a new challenge and the next steps," Rashford told Henry Winter. "When I leave it's going to be 'no hard feelings.' You're not going to have any negative comments from me about Manchester United. That's me as a person.
"If I know that a situation is already bad I'm not going to make it worse. I've seen how other players have left in the past and I don't want to be that person. When I leave I'll make a statement and it will be from me."
These are comments that make it sound like Rashford's time at United could be coming to an end despite scoring 87 goals for the club over 287 appearances. Rashford should be in the prime of his career, but tough decisions need to be made, and his salary and output recently explain why Rashford's time at United could be coming to an end while the 20-year-old Garnacho needs to be given chances to make good on his talent.
Even if Rashford does depart, his salary of $400,000 a week will make it tough to find a suitor, but comparing his output to Garnacho's since the beginning of the 2023-24 season in Premier League and European play, it tells quite a story.
| Name | Minutes played | Goals | xG | Assists | xA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marcus Rashford | 3860 | 12 | 10.13 | 6 | 5.19 |
Alejandro Garnacho | 4135 | 12 | 15.63 | 5 | 4.18 |
Both players have been quite close in their performances, but if anything, that's more of an indictment of Rashford's fall from being a double digit goal scorer for four of five Premier League seasons between 2018-2023. Given the issues that have been around United with shifting managers and their slide under Erik ten Hag, this can't all be an issue on Rashford specifically, but having a slide like that is a clear reason why a change of scenery could benefit both parties.
Meanwhile, Garnacho lacks consistency, but the flashes of a great player are still there. These are similar signs that Rashford had early in his career and consistency comes with repetition and a consistent routine for young players. While Amorim seems to be taking an authoritarian stance with his management of United, if Garnacho can make it through, there's a budding star to help the squad get back to the big stage.
Already on Argentina's radar for the national team and scoring goals like this in Premier League play, there's an electric player who can take the league by storm.
It's important to remember how young Garnacho is and that young players do have bumps while figuring out what it means to be a professional. There are some lines that can't be crossed depending on what led to them being left out of the squad for the Manchester derby, but that's also something that's between Garnacho and Amorim to work out. If they can come to an understanding while cleaning up Garnacho's decision making a bit, the next wave of United Academy products could be beginning to form.
Amad Diallo is already coming into his own while Kobbie Mainoo has shown flashes of being a great player which could help make Amroim's job easier during the summer when figuring out a list of what he needs to add. The road ahead is a long one but these next few weeks could provide clarity to what's next for Untied and their academy players.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, Dec. 19 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium -- London
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Tottenham +125; Draw +280; Manchester United +170