Why is Manchester United a Graveyard For So Many Players? | OneFootball

As we go into the summer break and subsequent transfer window, the question foremost on my mind is “Why would anyone WANT to come to Manchester United?” They have the very real possibility of finishing 17th in the league. They don’t have any European competition next year as they lost the Europa League final. The rot in the team is worse than the Old Trafford roof.

Rumor has it Ispwich Town’s hot commodity Liam Delap has given Man U the shrug off in favor of talks with Everton. Ouch.

There was a song by The Smiths in which Morrissey sang “Oh Manchester, so much to answer for.” How eeriely apropos that line to this article, which illuminates the careers of a number of United players who never really blossomed until AFTER they left Old Trafford.

Sometimes change is good.

Antony

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United brought him over from Ajax in July 2020 for around $20M (with add-ons). Given his stats, you could see why. In 82 games he had a contribution every 101 minutes, racking up 21 goals and 25 assists.

At United, he was stifled and underperformed. His contributions plummeted to one every 322 minutes and he only managed 12 goals and 5 assists in 96 appearances. Manchester loaned him to Real Betis in January of this year and he has regained his form. In 25 games he has 9 goals and 5 assists. He is reputedly one of the top players of Manchesters summer “To Sell” list.

Jadon Sancho

Jadon’s 2021 transfer from Borussia Dortmund was BIG news, and came with a BIG $95M fee. But while he performed a little better in red, he never really clicked. His United contributions came every 273 minutes (12g/6a in 79 games). His Dortmund stats were a contribution every 318 minutes, which makes you wonder why they paid so much for him. In August 2024 he was loaned to Chelsea, where he has amassed a contribution every 198 minutes (4g/8a in 40 games). Along with Antony, he’s high on the “To Sell” list.

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Marcus Rashford

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An academy graduate, Rashford scored two goals on his club debut against Midtjylland when he was 18. He quickly became the Golden Child of the squad, netting 30 goals in the 2022-23 season. Not long after he secured a new contract extension in late 2023 his form began to dip, and he went on to have a number of disciplinary run-ins with United coaches. Between December and January in this season he wasn’t even put on the roster. The club finally loaned his to Aston Villa In early February for the remainder of the season. The loan will end on June 30th; his name is already on the top of the list of players United want to sell.

His last two seasons at Old Trafford yielded 15 goals and 8 assists over 67 games. One contribution every 198 minutes. At Aston Villa he’s appeared in 17 games with 4 goals and 5 assists. One contribution every 101 minutes.

Three More Academy Kids

Anthony Elanga

This Swedish national joined United at 11 years old. He spent two seasons with United’s first team before transferring to Nottingham Forest in 2023 for a $20M fee. At United, he logged 53 games and had one contribution every 321 minutes (3g/4a total). At Forest he has become an absolute terror, his pace and finishing humbling many a defense (including United’s own on April 2, when he scored the lone winning goal). In 81 games he has one contribution every 166 minutes (11g/21a total).

Mason Greenwood

Sexual assault accusations derailed his Man U trajectory, and ultimately caused the club to part ways with him. A decent enough stint with Getafe in 2023–24 (a contribution every 181 minutes over 36 games) attracted other suitors, and Greenwood ended up joining Marseille in 2024 for a transfer fee of $35M. He’s had a strong debut season in Ligue 1, with consistent performances and goal contributions, and many say he’s playing some of his best soccer. He’s contributing once every 110 minutes, and has 22g/5a over 36 games.

Scott McTominay

Scotsman McTominay played seven seasons for the Red Devils, where he showed a penchant for netting clutch goals. But he was always pushed aside for others, and in 2024 he moved to Napoli on a $34M transfer. He still has that knack for scoring big goals, as his scissor-kick against Cagliari yesterday showed. With Manchester his contributions came every 410 minutes; that’s dropped to 175 minutes at Napoli. He also won the Scudetto with Napoli on the final game of the season, where his scissor-kick against Cagliari jump-started their victory. He was also named the Serie A Most Valuable Player. Most tellingly, since early April McTominay has scored six league goals. Manchester United has scored five IN TOTAL.