Marcus Rashford interested AC Milan and Juventus, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund. Yet as The transfer window between his last stollhe is always a Manchester United player. Not in terms of play – he hasn’t appeared in their last 10 games, and hasn’t even been on the bench for any of them – but in the simple fact that he hasn’t signed for a another club. Some of Rashford’s options end. When Kyle Walker completes his move to Milan, they will not have a slot in the team for another English player. Barcelona are running out of money running out of money. Dortmund, who have just sacked Nuri Sahin, are in limbo. So, in a different way, Rashford. His long relationship with United could continue whether or not either really wants it.
United’s transfer window has been busy and yet uneventful, with a host of players who could leave but haven’t, with difficulties signaling unless they bring in the money. Ruben AmorimFebruary could now bring additional complications. His tasks may include reinstating Rashford, a player exiled by a combination of the head coach and the player’s own choices.
Amorim hardly seemed enthusiastic about the task, even though he wasn’t a committee member. “I don’t know,” he said. “I really don’t know. Guys, it’s eight days. We will see at the end of the window what happened. »
It was a costly impasse. It has sparked speculation surrounding the future of Alejandro Garnacho, with the Argentine linked with Chelsea. Any deal involving the young wideout would represent a boost to all united concerns over PSR regulation. But given Rashford’s hefty salary, United have paid a player around £2m since he last appeared for them.
And that’s part of United’s problem. They have a huge expense and some of it is not reflected in the field. They are weighed down by commitments made in the past. Casemiro has a famously huge pay package. He has been an unused substitute in 10 of United’s last 13 games. He came off the Wolves bench when they lost.
He started against Newcastle when they were outplayed and they lost. Their only result with him on the pitch in that time came at Viktoria Plzen. It’s impossible to argue that United are getting value for money this season. Casemiro is a problem Amorim inherited, one he hasn’t solved.
“It has to be the characteristics, then I have to choose the player with characteristics that I see playing,” he said. “So that’s just it. I have to make choices. I want to play a style of play that is sometimes different from other coaches and I have to choose based on that, that’s all. »
And if that was a diplomatic way of saying he needs midfielders with more mobility, Casemiro is unlikely to get it any quicker. His 33rd birthday is next month and if his age could deter someone from signing him, his salary could make it even more unlikely. United could still be looking at them when the window closes.
Amorim’s room for maneuver was limited by the men that it seemed United could not move. He was left with a large team and a packed list of fixtures. But some have been overworked, in part because others have become unused by choice or are unusable. Friday marks the two-month anniversary of his Ipswich bow. It contained 16 matches. Noussair Mazraoui was rested for The 2-1 victory over Rangers in the Europa League After presenting the first 15, from 14 years old. However, it has become clearer what players trust in Amorim. Casemiro, overlooked when youngster Toby Collyer got his second United start against Rangers, looks in the same category as another Brazilian.
Antony could join Real Betis on loan. He has only started two games for Amorim, neither of them last month. He’s Erik Ten’s £85m splurge: Add him to Rashford and Casemiro and more than £800,000 a week goes in wages to unplayed players. Even more so, when the injured contingent is taken into account.
Luke Shaw hasn’t started a game all season. He was a substitute in Amorim’s first three games before breaking down. He is on the return path but Amorim seems cautious. “It’s two weeks to start training, then we have to start doing small minutes,” he said. “We don’t have much time to train, we have to do exercises in ten minutes, and then he has to do extra work to improve his fitness, so I don’t know.”
Amorim faces more immediate decisions. Altay Bayindir replaced Andre Onana in goal against Rangers. “It was a rotation, was prepared,” Amorim said. But Onana’s error when Georginio Rutter struck for Brighton added intrigue. “It’s always an even fight,” Amorim said of the choice between his two goalkeepers. “But this mistake has been my concern.”
This has raised the possibility that Onana could end up joining the group of Rashford, Casemiro, Antony and Shaw among the unplayed United players.
