INEOS made bigger mistake than Rashford selling Man Utd's future "captain”

Manchester United are clearly struggling to settle under new manager Ruben Amorim, completely changing their style of play, in an attempt to rescue their season. However, the Red Devils currently sit 15th in the Premier League, 14 points away from a top-five spot.

Back-to-back league losses against Crystal Palace and Tottenham has put their season in further doubt, as Amorim’s side are also now set to be without Amad Diallo for the remainder of the season, after suffering an ankle injury, which he will undergo surgery for.

With Diallo now out, United could possibly regret sanctioning the loan move of Marcus Rashford to Aston Villa in January, who has made some energetic cameos for Unai Emery’s side already since joining the Villains.

Marcus Rashford’s start at Aston Villa

Rashford joined Aston Villa on an initial loan deal, already making two appearances for Villa, striking the woodwork against Ipswich from a freekick, which Ollie Watkins converted to make it 1-1.

The 27-year-old has already shown his versatility, playing as both a centre-forward and a left-wing option in his two games.

United lined up with Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho in their front three against Tottenham, with two “nines” and a typical touchline winger, who wants to operate in wider zones. Rashford could have offered something different, adding pace to the frontline and the ability to operate in multiple zones.

Rashford made 426 appearances for United, scoring 138 goals, providing 63 assists and totalling 28,596 minutes played, but INEOS may have made an even bigger mistake than allowing Rashford to leave in January, having let another academy graduate depart in the summer.

Man Utd’s bigger mistake than Rashford

The Red Devils sold Scott McTominay to Napoli in the summer for a fee of around £21m plus £4.2m in add-ons. Since leaving the club, the 28-year-old has made 24 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing four assists.

Scott McTominay vs Kobbie Mainoo vs Manuel Ugarte comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)	McTominay	Mainoo	Ugarte
Goals + Assists	0.40	0.10	0.05
xG	0.22	0.08	0.04
Progressive Carries	1.52	1.41	0.50
Progressive Passes	3.36	3.78	2.88
Shots Total	2.42	0.79	0.49
Key Passes	0.71	1.15	0.50
Shot-Creating Actions	1.66	2.18	1.75
Tackles + Interceptions	2.19	3.50	5.75
Ball Recoveries	4.69	4.74	5.56
Aerial Duels Won	1.66	1.03	0.81
Stats taken from FBref

When comparing McTominay’s underlying numbers to Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte, who have often played in a double pivot for United this season under Amorim, you can see the extra goal threat the Scotland international brings from midfield, as well as physical presence with his 1.66 aerial duels won per 90.

McTominay may not have the same creative qualities as other United midfielders, making fewer key passes and averaging fewer shot-creating actions, but his overall impact in both boxes cannot be underestimated, alongside his mentality.

One-time interim boss Ralf Rangnick was impressed with McTominay’s “leadership skills” which led to the comment on him being a future “captain”, and it is this experience and extra presence that United could use in these testing times ahead.

With the Red Devils now left looking particularly light in midfield – with Ugarte, Mainoo, Toby Collyer and Christian Eriksen all missing the trip to North London – it could be said that moving on McTominay to Italy represents a bigger mistake by INEOS than sanctioning a loan move for Rashford.

Indeed, with there is a slim chance that the latter man could return to Old Trafford for next season, the Scotland star’s time in Manchester is now definitely over.