The sight of former Manchester United players instantly hitting the ground running away from Old Trafford has become a common theme of recent years, escaping the extreme pressure that comes with the Red Devils and becoming revived in new surroundings.
Such a trend has been particularly obvious in recent weeks, with Marcus Rashford marking his return to English football with a stunning brace against Newcastle United, clinching a 2-1 win for loan side, Barcelona.
Rasmus Hojlund, meanwhile, scored on his first start for Napoli against Fiorentina, while even Andre Onana has found his groove on loan at Trabzonspor, producing a Man of the Match display on debut, before even providing an assist last time out.
Those 2025 summer departures look to be paying off at present, with that trio no doubt hoping to emulate the success of a certain Scott McTominay, following the Scotland star’s breakout 2024/25 campaign in Naples.
A man who had strayed into super-sub territory during an impactful final season in Manchester, the 28-year-old is now front and centre for the Serie A side, having ended last term as the league’s MVP.
With a return of 14 goals and seven assists in 41 games for the Italian giants, the United academy graduate has won the hearts and minds of the Napoli faithful, while his efforts have been duly recognised…
Where Scott McTominay ranked in the Ballon d'or list
Scott McTominay and the Ballon d’Or didn’t appear to go together when considering his time back at United, with the 6 foot 4 midfielder something of a marmite figure for both fans and pundits alike.
Beloved by a string of managers, but also described as “not good enough” by the likes of Roy Keane, the Lancaster-born warrior was never the main man at United, restricted to a role in the supporting cast.
Now under Antonio Conte’s tutelage, ‘McTomadonna’ has deservedly stolen the limelight over the past 12 months or so, with that impact seeing him nestled among the 30 nominees for the famed Ballon d’Or award.
As revealed on Monday evening, while Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele may have claimed the crown, McTominay finished in a more than respectable 18th position among that stellar list of names.
For context, the United academy graduate finished ahead of the likes of Jude Bellingham (23rd), Declan Rice (27th) and Virgil van Dijk (28th), while also ranking higher than the man who ripped Ruben Amorim’s side to shreds in the Manchester derby – Erling Haaland (26th).
At a time when Amorim and co are crying out for midfield depth, the decision to part ways with McTominay looks to be coming back to bite them.
That being said, the midfielder was at least given more than enough time to prove himself at Old Trafford – 255 games to be precise – with the same certainly not true of another academy product, Alvaro Carreras.
Why Man Utd made a bigger mistake than McTominay
Much of the focus during Amorim’s time at the helm has been on the dynamic of the midfield pairing, amid the summer pursuit of Carlos Baleba, yet the problems at wing-back have almost been overlooked.
As explored following the 2-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday, the over-reliance on Patrick Dorgu to be the main man at left wing-back is of particular concern, with the young Dane seemingly the only viable, senior option in the first-team squad right now.
Oh how Amorim likely wishes that his predecessor Erik ten Hag hadn’t turned his nose up at the aforementioned Carreras – formerly referred to as Alvaro Fernandez at United – with the 22-year-old Spaniard now blossoming away at Real Madrid.
Non-penalty goals
0.05
0.00
Assists
0.05
0.13
Pass completion
78%
84.4%
Passes attempted
42.31
65.20
Progressive passes
3.08
6.73
Progressive carries
3.59
2.47
Successful take-ons
0.56
1.40
Tackles
2.65
1.47
Interceptions
0.75
1.67
Aerial duels won
1.66
0.80
The attack-minded left-back had initially been plucked from Los Blancos back in the summer of 2020, part of a trio of Spanish-based imports including Alejandro Garnacho from Atletico Madrid and right-back Marc Jurado from Barcelona.
Unlike hero turned villain Garnacho, Carreras was never actually afforded an opportunity at senior level in a competitive game, despite having notably shone on loan at Preston North End during the 2022/23 campaign, winning the club’s Young Player of the Year award.
As journalist Samuel Luckhurst has noted with regard to Radek Vitek’s temporary move to Bristol City this summer, young players whom United loan to the Championship are typically those who are viewed as having a role to play back in the first-team later down the line.
Unfortunately for Carreras, even an extended injury crisis at left-back didn’t alter his fortunes, with 2023/24 proving particularly frustrating on his part.
With both Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw missing almost the entirety of the season, United brought in Sergio Reguilon on loan initially, while also deploying the likes of Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof and even Sofyan Amrabat as makeshift options instead.
Despite being recalled from a loan spell at Granada in January 2024, with Ten Hag and co cutting short Reguilon’s own loan, Carreras was then shipped off again to Benfica, on a deal that included an option to make the move permanent.
As it proved, the Primeira Liga side saw enough in those six months to fork out the initial £5m fee, rising to £7.5m in add-ons, with the young full-back enjoying a remarkable 2024/25 season subsequently, after racking up nine goals and assists in 52 games in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.
Such form didn’t go unnoticed, and despite United possessing the chance to utilise their buyback clause of around £17m, the defender was ultimately snapped up by his former side, joining Madrid on a €50m (£42m) deal this summer.
United raked in £8m as a result of that switch due to a 20% sell-on clause, although with Carreras now already a firm fixture of Xabi Alonso’s side, starting all six games this season, the failure to integrate him into the first-team continues to sting.
Indeed, such is his talent, ex-Preston boss Ryan Lowe has even made the comparison between the ex-Spain U21 international and his new Madrid teammate, Trent Alexander-Arnold, having told the Athletic earlier this year:
“He reminds me a bit of Trent Alexander-Arnold but at left-back. They are both very intelligent on the pitch”.
Alexander-Arnold may not be the most popular name in Manchester – nor now in Liverpool, for that matter – but his exploits at Anfield are hard to ignore. 92 assists in 354 games for the Merseysiders, among a plethora of major honours, speaks to his unique, rare quality.
At a time then when Amorim’s system places so much reliance on the left wing-back, in particular, to provide a creative threat, having a Trent-esque figure like Carreras on board would no doubt have been perfect.
Dorgu, at just 20 himself, still has plenty of time to develop. Yet dishing out £30m on his signature in January, while selling Carreras for just an initial £5m, doesn’t reflect well on anyone back at Old Trafford.