Manchester United have turned more corners than a Formula 1 driver over the last decade or so, with every seemingly positive step followed by a hefty tumble backwards in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Only last year, the Red Devils were riding high after seeing off rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final, a moment that looked like one which could kickstart the Erik ten Hag regime. Less than six months later, the under-fire Dutchman was belatedly shown the door.
Even under the new Ruben Amorim reign, high points such as the statement performances at the Etihad and Anfield failed to inspire a consistent run of form, with the Portuguese’s debut campaign ending on a deserved sour note amid last week’s Europa League final defeat.
That limp showing will now have real ramifications heading into the upcoming summer window, with Amorim already admitting that he will likely work with a smaller squad due to the lack of European football, while incomings may also be at a premium.
Indeed, the suggestion remains that the Old Trafford side will need to sell before they can buy, with exits for the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho and the exiled Marcus Rashford set to be prioritised by Amorim and INEOS.
The gutting of the squad could not only impact the ‘deadwood’, however, with a handful of key figures also facing uncertain futures. One deal, in particular, could evoke echoes of the past.
Man United's biggest transfer mistakes
Starting with more recent sales, there is more than a tinge of regret over the £25m sale of academy graduate, Scott McTominay, with Scotland star having scored 12 goals as the MVP of Napoli’s Serie A triumph this season, after being deemed surplus to requirements back in Manchester.
That decision to cash in will sting considering United’s current woes, although it’s worth remembering that McTominay had actually only started 18 Premier League games last term. Hardly an irreplaceable figure.
The same goes for the likes of Anthony Elanga and Dean Henderson too, even with the 2023 sales having enjoyed fine seasons at their new clubs. Indeed, Elanga has helped to steer Nottingham Forest to Conference League qualification, while Henderson starred in Crystal Palace’s FA Cup final masterclass.
Again, in hindsight, those deals may appear a mistake, although Elanga had scored just four goals in 55 games for United, while Henderson was never able to truly dislodge David De Gea during his stint in the first team.
Looking further back, it is hard to think of too many departing stars who have truly gone on to sparkle elsewhere. Danny Welbeck did end the campaign with ten league goals for Brighton, although he had endured an injury-ravaged time at Arsenal after leaving United, scoring just 32 goals in total for the Gunners.
In the view of Jose Mourinho, Welbeck – alongside Javier Hernandez and Angel Di Maria – were players the Red Devils should “never” have sold, albeit with Di Maria never managing to settle in Manchester, while Hernandez has hardly ripped things up since his 2014 exit, notably scoring just 17 times in a forgettable spell for West Ham United.
Prior to that, questions are likely to be asked of Ferguson for allowing Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to depart in the summer of 2009. Ronaldo, however, was hellbent on joining Real Madrid, with United at least raking in a world record fee. As for Tevez, the Argentine had seemingly “downed tools” under ‘Fergie’, in the view of teammate Gary Neville.
The Scotsman himself has pointed to the sale of Jaap Stam in 2001 as arguably “his biggest mistake”, although it is the decision to let go of another centre-back – Gerard Pique – that perhaps ranks among his greatest errors. Is that move about to be repeated?
Why Man Utd sold Gerard Pique
It was almost 17 years ago that a young Pique was allowed to return to boyhood club, Barcelona, after four years in England, with the LaLiga outfit – and new boss Pep Guardiola – forking out just £5m for his services.
The promising defender had failed to usurp Ferguson’s starting pairing of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, prior to his exit, with former colleague Wayne Rooney stating that the Spaniard had lost the manager’s faith after being “bullied” in a game against Bolton Wanderers in 2007.
A peripheral figure in Manchester, the now legendary Pique went on to become a central part of Barca’s success over the next decade or so, having memorably started in the Champions League final in 2009, in which Guardiola’s men ran out 2-0 winners in Rome.
In all, the ball-playing hero would score 53 goals in 616 games at Camp Nou, winning a plethora of major honours that include three European titles and nine Spanish titles – alongside a World Cup and European Championship with La Roja.
A “phenomenon” whom his compatriot and colleague Carlos Puyol described as the “best central defender in the world” in 2019, Pique represents one that got away as far as United are concerned.
The same could be set to happen with Alejandro Garnacho…
Selling Garnacho would be Man Utd's biggest mistake in 17 years
There are no doubt parallels between Pique and young Garnacho, with the wing wizard having also been plucked from Spain as a teenager in the summer of 2020, after signing from Atletico Madrid for a fee of just £420k.
Like Pique too, the Argentine could be set for a swift exit at such a young age, with the 20-year-old in line to follow in the footsteps of the centre-back, who was 21 when he left Manchester 17 years ago.
The suggestion is that Garnacho – who was left out of United’s win over Aston Villa on the final day of the season – has been told by Amorim that he can leave this summer, having also started on the bench in the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in Bilbao.
The £50k-per-week winger publicly outlined his disappointment at that decision following the 1-0 loss, albeit with Amorim pointing to the “big opportunity” that the player had missed in the semi-final second-leg victory over Athletic Club.
And so, even despite racking up 21 goals and assists this season, finishing behind only Bruno Fernandes in that regard, the rising star looks in line for an exit, having previously been the subject of a bid from Napoli in January.
Fernandes himself has been touted for a departure of his own, amid interest from Saudi side Al Hilal, although whether Amorim and INEOS would sanction a sale remains to be seen.
Equally, with the talismanic skipper set to turn 31 in September, it could be argued that his best days may well be behind him, after 5 years of magnificent service. For Garnacho, by contrast, his peak years are likely to be ahead of him.
Bruno Fernandes
39
19
20
Alejandro Garnacho
21
11
10
Amad Diallo
20
11
9
Rasmus Hojlund
14
10
5
Joshua Zirkzee
10
7
3
Marcus Rashford
10
7
3
Christian Eriksen
10
5
5
Casemiro
8
5
3
Diogo Dalot
8
3
5
Manuel Ugarte
8
2
6
Thankfully, unlike Pique, United could look to rake in a sizeable fee if they do indeed cash in on the Spain-born starlet, with a £60-£70m price tag having been mooted. That said, even amid the benefits of meeting PSR regulations, would this not be an almighty mistake?
This writer was at Old Trafford the day that Garnacho announced himself to the United faithful after scoring a brilliant brace in the FA Youth Cup final, with the scrawny teenager stealing the limelight after replicating the celebration of his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo.
The words ‘Viva Garnacho’ have rung out in Manchester since that day, not least when supporters have demanded his introduction off the bench to change a game, with the electric talent one of few who regularly gets the crowd off their seats. As journalist Samuel Luckhurst noted, he is a “game-changer”.
Also described as a “diamond” by talent scout Jacek Kulig in the past, Garnacho has enjoyed a catalogue of fine moments, be it his stoppage time winner at Fulham in November 2022; his clincher away at Elland Road just a few months later; or even his remarkable overhead kick against Everton at Goodison Park last season.
His crowning moment, of course, came following his opener at Wembley in last year’s showpiece, with it showcasing a sorry state of affairs that both he and Kobbie Mainoo now face uncertain futures at the club.
As The Telegraph’s James Ducker has noted, selling Garnacho, in particular, “would come with all sorts of warnings”, with INEOS needing to be certain that such players will be “replaced with upgrades”.
A player once described as looking “like a young Cristiano”, according to Paul Scholes, Garnacho actually boasts a greater scoring record for United than the great Ronaldo, before turning 21. Is this a player whom the Old Trafford hierarchy should really be selling?
Yes, there may be doubts over his suitability to Amorim’s 3-4-3 system, but that should not define his future. Equally, concerns over his attitude have rumbled on since Ten Hag’s early days, but that is perhaps to be expected over a player still learning his trade.
There is, of course, a need to rip up this squad and start again, although if drawing up a list of players who need to be sold, Garnacho should surely be nowhere near the front of the queue…
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