£146m Man Utd pair prove Old Trafford ‘graveyard’ claim as summer signing gives Amorim deja vu
Ruben Amorim is experiencing deja vu with one Manchester United summer signing, while his predecessor shines away from the ‘graveyard’…
“[Manchester United has] become a graveyard for coaches and players – it’s not too strong a term.”
These were the words of Man Utd legend Gary Neville around two years and it remains true to this day as successful signings are still few and far between under Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is yet to oversee a positive overhaul of the culture at Old Trafford.
This has been proven over the past year, as Marcus Rashford and Antony enjoyed dramatic returns to form almost instantly following their loans to Aston Villa and Real Betis from Man Utd in January.
Napoli cult hero Scott McTominay is another example of a player who has taken his game to a new level after leaving Man Utd, and Rasmus Hojlund could be the next.
Hojlund, who joined Man Utd from Atalanta in 2023 in a deal worth up to £72m, suffered a huge fall from grace after his 16-goal debut campaign at Old Trafford as he was widely slated for most of last season.
Amorim followed Hojlund’s many critics in writing off the 22-year-old, insisting on his exit as he omitted him from squads en route to his loan-to-buy move to Napoli.
READ: Premier League winners and losers: Amorim sack; Emery, Maresca struggle; Arsenal, Woltemade shine
Hojlund’s exit became a formality as soon as Man Utd beat Newcastle United, as they did with Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, to sign Benjamin Sesko for around £74m from RB Leipzig.
Sesko is very much a like-for-like replacement for Hojlund, as he is also a 22-year-old with great physical attributes and potential to grow into a well-rounded No.9.
However, the trajectories of each striker have gone in opposing directions at the start of this season; Sesko has been ineffective and is goalless in five appearances, while Hojlund immediately got off the mark with a goal in his Serie A debut for Napoli.
This is typical of the mess Man Utd have created in many a year post-Sir Alex Ferguson, though it was always bound to happen.
MORE MAN UTD COVERAGE ON F365…
👉 Man Utd: Amorim sack could be imminent as new Romano update reveals hint at INEOS verdict
👉 Man Utd make Ruben Amorim ‘sack decision’ amid ultimatums and verdicts
👉 Amorim sack moves closer as he goads Man Utd into action after derby mauling
Last season, Hojlund’s general play was really poor and he was rightly criticised, but it was no wonder he was so short of confidence, given the severe lack of service from the supporting cast.
Hojlund was feeding off scraps for most of the 2024/25 campaign and his game had not developed enough to ensure he could score from his one or two chances per game.
Now, Hojlund is one game into his career at a new club and already looks a far stronger prospect through operating in Antonio Conte’s well-drilled 4-1-4-1 formation rather than Amorim’s flawed 3-4-3 system.
At Man Utd, a supposed summer of change is yet to make much of a difference as most of last season’s issues remain, including their toothless attack.
Bryan Mbeumo has been a bright spark in the No.10 position, but Man Utd’s overall attacking unit are still failing to get their No.9 into the game as Sesko has been on the periphery in his minutes so far.
It is already being reported that Man Utd ‘regret’ signing Sesko, but it is too soon to throw out such suggestions as he is only partly to blame for his early struggles as Amorim’s naive insistence on playing his formation is undermining the striker’s integration.
Until there is a change, either via a sacking or Amorim altering his methods, Sesko faces following in Hojlund’s footsteps as an underutilised striker being held back in the “graveyard for coaches and players”.
