The good news, to use Ruben Amorim’s phrase, was that two of the forwards on Manchester United’s books have hit form. Not for United, admittedly.
Marcus Rashford scored twice in an FA Cup quarter-final, has earned an England recall and has his current club manager saying he is getting back towards his best. Although that manager, tellingly, is Unai Emery of Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, Antony has starred in a side who have reeled off five straight league wins. Though the division in question is La Liga and the club in form is Real Betis.
United are in what approximates for form themselves and have two forwards on the goal trail. They have won their last matches in all competitions; discounting penalty shootouts, they are unbeaten in five. When they won 3-0 at Leicester, Rasmus Hojlund scored his first goal in 22 games and Alejandro Garnacho his first in 25.
It may seem inconvenient for Amorim that players appear to perform better away from United, even if it is easier to question his judgement for discarding Rashford than Antony. Amorim tried to frame their exploits as a positive.
“I know Rashford really well and everybody knows the talent that he has,” he said. “He’s a top player, if he wants.” The last three words may seem pertinent but he continued: “So I’m not surprised and it’s the same with Antony. It’s a good thing we see our players doing well on loan in a different context. That can happen. It’s a good sign for the club.”
Perhaps. Aston Villa have a £40m option to buy Rashford but, as Emery has outlined, their budget next season depends on which, if any, European competition they qualify for. Meanwhile, Betis captain Isco has joked that they should crowdfund to raise the money to keep Antony; it would need to be a particularly wealthy crowd if United were to recoup the £85m they spent on the Brazilian.
A duo who may have seemed someone else’s problem when loaned out could provide a conundrum for Amorim again. Awkward situations may beckon. “I’m planning the future but I don’t want to talk about the future in this moment,” Amorim added. Rashford remains among his least favourite topics.
That future, at least, will include Bruno Fernandes. The suggestions Real Madrid were willing to pay £90m for the United captain seemed to ignore both his age, 30, and a cast list at the Bernabeu that already includes Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior, Fede Valverde, Brahim Diaz, Endrick and Arda Guler. In any case, Amorim smiled: “He’s not going anywhere because I’ve already told him.”
Yet part of Amorim’s reasoning – beyond Fernandes’s totals of 16 goals and 15 assists in an underachieving side – was instructive.
“We want to win the Premier League again, so we want the best players to continue with us,” he said. Far better United teams have lost players to Real Madrid, with Cristiano Ronaldo going a year after winning the Champions League. But United’s status as a destination club looks less secure when they have to gaze higher up the table to glimpse at Bournemouth, Brentford and Brighton.
And while the Europa League assumes most importance for United in the run-in and gives Amorim reasons to rest players to prioritise continental challenges, they are in the rare position of entering the final furlong of the Premier League season with relatively little to play for. Amorim’s immediate target is to elevate them from an unedifying 13th. “I don’t know which place we are going to finish but we are looking up and we want to win games,” he said. “We have still matches to finish in a different position.”
There are multiple reasons to do so. Every position brings about £3m in prize money and if United, only three points ahead of West Ham, slip to 16th, it would cost a further £9m. There is the issue of momentum, mislaid early in Amorim’s reign, and whether a strong finish could at least generate a feelgood factor. There is the question of whether there is concrete evidence that players are adapting to Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation. With seven of United’s remaining nine league games coming against teams currently above them, they have to illustrate they can beat their peers or superiors. Of Amorim’s five league wins so far, three came against the bottom three, another against Sean Dyche’s Everton.
They could do, too, with some of the forwards currently at Amorim’s disposal earning the rave reviews given to Rashford and Antony. That would entail Hojlund and Garnacho scoring more to reduce the reliance on Fernandes, while remaining grateful for the captain’s considerable commitment to the cause.
And while Amorim may deflect talk about the future, there is the shape of a rebuilding job. Christian Eriksen has conceded that he is likely to leave when his contract expires in the summer, as is Victor Lindelof. Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho could all be back at United or gone for good. And next season, Amorim must ensure the good-news stories are generated at Old Trafford, rather than by those enjoying their exile.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United kicks off at 8pm, coverage is on TNT Sports
