Tips

News

Predictions

Blogs

Videos

Quizzes

Betting Sites

Are Manchester United Players Cursed? Five Player's who Thrived After Leaving Old Trafford
Blogs

Are Manchester United Players Cursed? Five Player's who Thrived After Leaving Old Trafford

Are Manchester United Players Cursed?

One has to feel a little sorry for Manchester United. Gone are the days of Premier League domination and a team of world-beating legends - Ruben Amorim’s current side are barely keeping their head above water.

The Red Devil’s lie 14th in the league, and incredibly, are yet to hit the 40 point mark that signals safety for most relegation threatened sides - had Southampton, Ipswich and Leicester been less hopeless this season, we would be having serious conversations about a potential shock relegation.

In their defence, they are set to compete in the Europa League semi-finals on Thursday, with an irresistible Athletic Bilbao poised to host them in the first leg, and the competition represents that last piece of silverware that United can win.

However, their current squad, and the tactics they adhere to, simply doesn’t have the confidence, quality or winning mentality for many to take them seriously as contenders.

Moreover, a worrying trend has been gathering momentum over the course of the season - why is it that everyone who leaves Man United starts to thrive elsewhere?

Even moves that have gone through in the last 12 months have already started to look like poor business for United: Scott McTominay is at the heart of Napoli’s title charge in Italy (and is so popular in Italy he is nicknamed ‘McBro’), and Marcus Rashford has become a key cog of Unai Emery’s ruthless Aston Villa attack.

But this is a trend that has been occurring over a far more pronounced period of time, and there have been a whole string of transfers which in hindsight, both United fans and management have regretted.

With United seemingly making the same mistakes, over and over again, it’s time that we take a look at why. So here are five players who thrived after leaving behind the Theatre of Dreams.

5. Scott McTominay - £25.4 Million to Napoli, August 2024

Starting off with one of the most recent examples of a poor sale by United management, Scott McTominay has gone from strength to strength, since moving to the sunny Bay of Naples on the West coast of Italy.

Despite providing a shining light for a lacklustre United in 2023/24, scoring 10 goals from midfield while the front men struggled, then manager Erik Ten Haag so no reason to keep McTominay, perceiving him instead as nothing more than a bog-standard, pretty average youth academy graduate. How wrong the Scotsman has proven the now sacked Ten Haag.

Since leaving Manchester, McTominay has become a fan favourite in Naples, no small achievement when you are playing for a club which has a history of worshipping its star players. The midfielder has been phenomenal, netting 12 times and assisting two more in his debut season abroad, and he has further endeared himself to the Napoli faithful with his endless running and seemingly bottomless store of energy. In fact, less than 12 months after his departure from United, McTominay is being linked with a move to none other than REAL MADRID this summer.

Quite the turnaround for someone deemed surplus to requirements at United.

4. Andreas Pereira - £8 million to Fulham, July 2022

Some may dispute this inclusion, but bare with me. Another one to emerge from United’s famed Carrington Youth academy, Andreas Pereira broke through into the first team in 2018/19, and started to play a key role under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, his contributions were limited, and in his two full seasons at the club, he didn’t notch more than six goal involvements.

Understandably, the Red Devils decided to loan him out, first to Italian side Lazio, where his form was more of the same, and then to Brazilian side Flamengo for 18 months. Here, his form improved, but his consistency still fluctuated, and eventually, United’s management lost their patience, sending him off to Fulham for a measly £8 million.

However, under Marco Silva’s guidance, Pereira has gone from strength to strength, playing in the attacking point of a midfield three, and transforming Fulham from relegation threatened to European contenders. Has managed seasons of 11, 11 and 7 goal contributions over the last three years, all up on his Man United figures, and as recently as January, was linked with a big move to French side Marseille, who currently sit second in Ligue 1.

It is impossible to understate his importance to this Fulham side, but with his stock currently sitting at more than double the money United sold him for, it seems a move to a big club is only ever going to edge closer for the rejuvenated 29-year-old.

3. Anthony Elanga - £14.8 million to Nottingham Forest, July 2023

The case of Anthony Elanga is a perfect example of a club failing to remain patient with a young, promising talent. Brought to United on a free transfer from Swedish club Malmo in 2015, aged just 14 years old, Elanga was highly rated early on, both by the fan base and by the clubs youth management.

Eventually, he broke into the team in 2021, but many of his appearances for United were cameo’s off the bench, and when he did start, he failed to impress. Overall, he managed just three goals and four assists in 55 games at Old Trafford, form which management agreed was simply not good enough to keep him on as a United player.

Fortunately, Nottingham Forest saw an opportunity where United saw profit, and were happy to hand over less than £15 million to acquire the Swede’s services. And given the topic of this list, you can guess what happened next.

After an impressive debut season saw him notch five goals and assist nine, Elanga has taken his game to new heights this season, a campaign which has seen Forest propel themselves into unexpected Champions League contention. The Swedish winger has been central to their outstanding progress. He has so far netted six times, and set up 10 more, and with five games still to play, he has every chance of adding to that tally.

With the prolific Chris Wood providing a perfect target man, Elanga has been able to exhibit his inch perfect service, and with Forest’s counter-attacking set-up has also illustrated his electric pace and fast decision making. If Forest fail to qualify for Champions League football, a big move will no doubt follow, and don’t be surprised if United attempt to re-sign him. Perfect crossing and rapid speed sounds like exactly what strikers mis-firing Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee would thrive off.

2. Marcus Rashford - Loan Move to Aston Villa, January 2025.

In allowing Marcus Rashford to leave on a loan to deal to Aston Villa, Manchester United must have thought they had found a solution to the problem of allowing players to leave and thrive at other clubs permanently.

However, his loan deal has an option to buy, and with how he has been performing for the Villains this season, there is every chance that Unai Emery will pry yet another academy graduate from United’s grasp.

Rashford’s move to Villa came about in strange circumstances: Amorim was appointed in place of Erik Ten Haag, and almost immediately gave Rashford the cold shoulder, stating that the wingers training and attitude need to improve if he is to be reintegrated into the first team. After a month without minutes, Rashford understandably started to explore his options.

This is when Aston Villa came knocking. For many teams, loan moves of the past have been treated as an opportunity for a player to regain form, and with a view to returning to their parent club. But with Rashford, that simply doesn’t feel realistic. His rift with Amorim now stretch far too wide, and it would take something miraculous to heal the relationship between the two.

The absence of Amorim has taken a huge weight off Rashford’s shoulders, and it is showing in the way he plays. He is once again darting along the flank, and he has started to dip into his box of tricks to get past defenders, a level of confidence which we haven’t seen from him since his standout season in 2022/23.

At Villa, he has already helped himself to four goals and five assists in 17 games, while in his half season at United, he contributed seven goals and three assists in seven more games. It is a clear improvement, and although he has now been ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury, he has proven himself important enough at Villa Park to earn a permanent move to the East Midlands come the summer transfer window.

1. Antony - Loan to Real Betis, January 2025

There was never going to be anyone else at number one was there? After being brought in for an eye-watering £86 million, the mercurial Brazilian, so highly rated at Ajax, spectacularly failed to meet expectations.

After three goals in his first three games for the club, Antony would only go on to score nine more in 93 games, a truly awful return for the Red Devil’s second most expensive acquisition in their history. He was mocked for unnecessary shows of skill, and ridiculed for his wayward finishing and poor decision making.

In January, after playing just 14 games all season, the winger and club management thought it best to put both sides out of their misery securing him a loan move to Real Betis is Spain, in a bid for him to find some form and rediscover his mojo.

As expected, leaving United was the best possible thing that could have happened to Antony. In just 18 games for the club, Antony has established himself as a key part of the team, and has contributed to nine goals already (scoring five and assisting four). Additionally, he was awarded man of the match in all of his first three games in La Liga.

Clearly, he arrived in Spain with a point to prove. It is hard to say why he is playing so well; it could be the less obvious physicality of the league, it could be the change tactics, or it could be something as simple as playing in the sun, but whatever it is, you can guarantee that Antony will be reluctant to leave come the end of the season.

Unfortunately for him, his loan agreement with Betis does not include a buy-clause. However, I would still be surprised if Betis didn’t investigate the possibility of a summer transfer once the loan deal has expired. Antony has transformed them, and with a Europa Conference League semi-final coming up on Thursday this week, he still has a crucial part left to play in his remaining time at the club.

If the club somehow overcomes both Fiorentina, and very likely Chelsea in the final, Betis will need to seriously consider spending their prize money on the winger. After having such a positive impact on the club, both parties are reaping the rewards, and it would be foolish if neither considered a permanent move.

But there is one thing we know for sure. United didn’t use Antony, or for that matter any of the players included above correctly. Rashford and McTominay both showed what they were capable of at the club, but either weren’t valued enough, or were suddenly put on the periphery by a change in management.

However, what this list does show is that sometimes, the grass is greener elsewhere. Man United may be considered the biggest club in the world, but with that comes baggage and no shortage of pressure. Sometimes, players need to move to a setting with less expectancy to thrive, and with so many ex-players now thriving away from old Trafford, it is only a matter of time until one of them revisits the storied ground to break the hearts of their former supporters.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Harry Pascoe

Lead Writer

Videos
See more
From Non-League to the AFCON Final - The Story of Kwesi Appiah
Listen to our full podcast with Kwesi Appiah as he discusses his sensational rise from non-league all the way to starting in the AFCON final.
Is it time for Luton Town to make THE DECISION?!
Watch out latest edition of EFL Hot Takes as the lads give their opinion on the Rob Edwards situation at Luton Town.
WHO is in our Championship TEAM OF THE SEASON so far?!
Find out how we would put in our Championship Team of the Season so far on YouTube as we approach the busy period.

Join our newsletter

Become a part of our community and never miss an update from Football Park.