It only took one word from Jadon Sancho to ignite the touchpaper: ‘Freedom’.
That was the term he used to describe Marcus Rashford’s new state at Aston Villa, having escaped the proverbial dungeon of Manchester United on loan.
Sancho, himself loaned out at Chelsea, was duly slammed by the mob of internet-marauding United fans. ‘Y’all should form Lazy Bros FC,’ came one of the wittier ripostes. In other words: how dare you insult Manchester United Football Club?
But Sancho’s comment raised an interesting question: what are we missing out on? Is it true that United’s players are shackled? Are there alternate versions of Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee that have been crushed under the sheer tonnage of a stumbling football giant?
Cast your eyes abroad and some of United’s former stars are playing their best football. Scott McTominay is closing in on a league title in Italy, while Donny van de Beek claims a ‘sacred fire’ has awoken within him in Spain.
With that in mind, Mail Sport explores 10 stars who have left United behind, how they’re getting on, and what it all means for Rashford.
Jadon Sancho suggested that Marcus Rashford’s loan to Aston Villa is ‘freedom’. Is he right?
Rashford was frozen out by Ruben Amorim but Unai Emery looks willing to give him a shot
Fans were unhappy with Sancho’s comment but there may be an element of truth to it
Scott McTominay
McTominay could hardly have asked for his move to Napoli to go better.
They sit top of Serie A under Antonio Conte and he has started every league game besides the first of the season, being widely praised for his performances.
After becoming the most expensive Scot ever in a £26million summer move, he has been showing United what they’re missing out on, scoring seven goals in all competitions.
His girlfriend Cam Reading has moved to Italy with him and the pair have been soaking up the sun and enjoying the nation’s tourist attractions.
The pair enjoyed drinks near the Duomi di Milano while Cam has visited the rooftops of Florence and the gleaming Amalfi Coast village of Positano.
In January, McTominay even showed off his linguistic prowess as he wished Cam a happy birthday… in Italian!
‘Buon compleanno Tutto il mio amore nel mondo,’ he wrote. Happy birthday All my love in the world.
Scott McTominay and his girlfriend Cam Reading are enjoying a new life together in Italy
The midfielder already has seven goals to his name at Napoli and is involved in a title charge
McTominay wished Reading a happy birthday in italian in his recent Instagram post
The pair have been soaking up the sights around Italy, including at the Duomi di Milano
Anthony Martial
Many people were surprised when Martial agreed to join Greek side AEK Athens at the age of 28 after leaving Manchester United in May.
On this platform, Graeme Souness wrote about how Martial ‘had everything to be a top player’ but had not fulfilled his potential in nine seasons at Old Trafford.
Now he is in a race for the Greek league title, with AEK sat just two points behind Olympiacos.
And after a slow start in front of goal, the Frenchman has found his scoring boots, with nine goals to his name in 19 appearances.
That’s almost as many as the 12 he mustered in his final three seasons on English turf.
Over the weekend, he hit two in a 5-0 rout of Panserraikos.
It appears he is winning over his new fanbase. After he hit an 87th-minute winner against OFI Crete in December, fans chanted as he walked through the airport and he briefly danced with one fan.
A better appreciation than he had in the north west of England.
Anthony Martial has found his scoring boots at AEK Athens and has been embraced by fans
The Frenchman turned 29 in Greece after spending nine seasons at Old Trafford
Donny van de Beek
Van de Beek is one of the many mysteries of talent fallen by the wayside at Old Trafford in the past decade and counting.
He arrived from Ajax aged 23 but left having left little impression by 27, unable to gain regular minutes under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Erik ten Hag, his former manager at Ajax. A loan at Eintracht Frankfurt didn’t help.
Now the midfielder has rediscovered himelf at Girona, in LaLiga, where he has bene enjoying Champions League football.
After starting the season on the bench, he has broke into Michel’s starting line-up and become an important part of their push for European qualification.
Girona is a picturesque city with a canal and colourful houses in Catalonia and De Beek is living with his girlfriend Estelle Bergkamp – daughter of Arsenal legend Dennis – and their two kids.
‘I enjoy it (football) again,’ he recently told Voetbal International. ‘The fun, enjoying the game. That is so important and I have missed that feeling for so long. I finally feel like a footballer again.
‘I think I’ve made more minutes this season than added up in the past four years. That says enough. The good feeling is back, I feel confidence again and the sacred fire in me has been fuelled. Finally.’
Donny van de Beek (left) has been enjoying life in the picturesque Spanish city of Girona
He said he has rediscovered a ‘sacred fire’ within himself and has played Champions League football
Injuries and a lack of minutes hampered Van de Beek in his prime years at Man United
Sofyan Amrabat
Amrabat arrived at Manchester United on the crest of a wave after reaching the World Cup semi-finals with Morocco in 2022 and the Europa Conference League final with Fiorentina.
However, he flattered to deceive during his loan spell for the 2023-24 season.
This campaign he is on loan at Fenerbahce, where he has the rollercoaster ride of being managed by Jose Mourinho.
He did actually play against Manchester United earlier this season in a 1-1 draw in the Europa League.
As projected, Fenerbahce are mounting another title challenge after finishing second with 99 points last season. This time, they’re just three off reigning champions Galatasaray.
He hasn’t shared much about his life away from the pitch in Turkey, mostly just sticking to pictures of matches and training on his social media.
That said, he did recently enjoy the company of team-mates Bright Osayi Samuel – formerly of Blackpool and QPR – as well as Oguz Aydın away from the field.
Sofyan Amrabat (right) is settling into life out on loan in Turkey from Fiorentina
He is in a title charge with Fenerbahce under the tutelage of former United boss Jose Mourinho
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
The clearest sign of Wan-Bissaka being a changed man at West Ham was the fact he scored for the first time in almost 1,400 days earlier this season.
In fact, he scored for two weeks running, good finishes as well – a collector’s item for a man who was vaunted for his ball-winning but not much else at Old Trafford.
Growing up, Wan-Bissaka looked up to Thierry Henry and wore his number 14 shirt, so those goals against Newcastle and Arsenal were a long time coming.
It makes sense for the 27-year-old to feel at home in London, given he was born in Croydon and came through the ranks of Crystal Palace before joining United for £50m in 2019. For a while at United, he would return to London in the evenings to see loved ones.
Just a couple of days ago, he posted a cryptic message on Instagram but one that hints at him finding contentment: ‘Peace is always beautiful’.
Reflecting on his time up north in an interview with the Evening Standard, he shared how hard it had been to adapt to Mancunian life.
‘It was difficult. Very difficult. I went [to Manchester] on my own and it was my first time moving away from home. I had no one up there, apart from my PlayStation.
‘Because Manchester’s smaller, everyone’s aware of everything that’s happening. You have to be mentally strong to avoid the negative stuff it comes with.’
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has scored his first goals since 2021 after moving to West Ham
The defender, 27, is back closer to family and friends, having grown up in London
He described how he was on his own in Manchester and would often return to London
Jadon Sancho
Jadon Sancho has been mooted for an England return due to his form at Chelsea.
At least, he has by Danny Murphy, who wrote for Mail Sport how he is ‘again looking like the winger who ripped it up for Borussia Dortmund’.
He has found a home on the left flank for Enzo Maresca’s team, although his end product has tailed off and he is overshadowed by Cole Palmer.
Still, he has had some cracking games, such as against Bournemouth on his debut when he assisted Christopher Nkunku for his late winning goal.
For Sancho it is a homecoming, as he comes from south London. In Germany, he had ‘Poppin’ Outta Kennington’ and ‘No Ball Games’ printed on his boots.
That was because some kids used to break windows with their footballs on the estate where he grew up, so neighbours complained to the council and had a ‘no ball games’ sign installed.
After a tumultuous two-and-a-half seasons with Manchester United, Sancho rediscovered himself on loan at Dortmund last season and has continued that renaissance this season, albeit to a more muted extent.
In recent days, he has ignited anger among fans by calling Marcus Rashford’s loan away from United ‘freedom’. Not the most diplomatic message to your parent club.
Jadon Sancho enjoyed a storming start at Chelsea and appears happy playing for the Blues
Playing regular minutes will give him a better chance of reaching his full potential
His time at United went downhill after he fell out with Erik ten Hag was was exiled from the team
Antony
Does any player better signify United’s era of waste than Antony?
It is not his fault that United spent £85.5m on him aged 22. Lots of us would struggle to give value for a price tag of £850!
But boy, does he look like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders since joining Real Betis on loan.
Antony got man of the match in his first game against Athletic Club and followed that up with a goal after 10 minutes against Celta Vigo – the same as he managed all season at United.
‘When Betis appeared, I felt a certainty in my heart that I had come here to achieve great things,’ the Brazilian said.
Betis CEO Ramon Alarcon has been so satisfied that he has already admitted there is a ‘possibility’ they will try to sign him permanently in the summer.
Antony earned man of the match on his Real betis debut and scored in his second game
Based off his summer holiday in Italy, it appears obvious that the Brazilian appreciates warmer climes
Raphael Varane
Varane, one of the greatest defenders of his generation, took the agonising call to retire aged 31 in September.
The Frenchman had made the move to the picturesque Serie A town of Como in Lombardy but only managed one appearance before calling time on a glittering career.
That has given him plenty of free time to get stuck into his hobbies and it looks as if he has been making the most of it.
Varane was recently back in Madrid to enjoy the Hexagon Cup, the world’s premier padel tournment, and even got a game in with F1 star Pierre Gasly.
In December, he covered his face with a scarf to attend French club RC Lens’ French Cup defeat to PSG – though the incognito disguise didn’t exactly work.
There has also been time for a trip to Disneyland Paris with his partner Camille Tytgat and their kids.
He is still involved at Como, having taken on a role behind the scenes to help build the club’s infrastructure. Moreover, he sometimes drops in to help out coaching and mentoring budding stars in his personal academy in France.
Raphael Varane (right) left Manchester United for Como but has retired in September
The legendary defender has been enjoying the retired life, even playing padel with Pierre Gasly
He went incognito at a Lens match, although his disguise didn’t fool too many people
Tyrell Malacia
It’s hard to judge Malacia’s time on loan at PSV considering he’s only played one game, but at least he got 60 minutes under his belt, which is a huge step forward aftr his injury nightmare.
Malacia missed 72 games between May 2023 and November 2024 after two rounds of knee surgery, an excruciating absence for anybody to come back from.
With the physical demands of Ruben Amorim’s system, it makes sense for the 25-year-old to rebuild his physicality away from the glare of Old Trafford.
He has been parachuted into a promising season for PSV, with the Dutch giants challenging for a league title and in the knockout play-offs against Juventus in the Champions League.
Getting back on the pitch also means he can escape the drama and misinformation of conspiracy theories over his absence.
One theory even posited that he had died, or ran away with the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, whose whereabouts were unknown last year as she dealt with a cancer diagnosis away from the spotlight.
Tyrell Malacia is back in the Netherlands on loan at PSV after a move late in the window
A devastating injury lay-off hampered the full-back’s progress a season after joining United
Rashford has the opportunity to thrive under Unai Emery, but will he grab it with both hands?
Marcus Rashford
All of the above should scream a message to Rashford: this is your opportunity.
Scrap what has gone before. Ignore the negativity. If Antony can turn around the narrative within a couple of games, so can he.
Unai Emery is clearly willing to give Rashford his shot, given how he handed him a place in his Champions League squad ahead of Donyell Malen and brought him on for 25 minutes against Tottenham in the FA Cup.
Morgan Rogers is the only attacker who has truly nailed down a starting spot in the current attacking contingent, so there is ample scope for Rashford to make his mark.
‘I’m very happy with him. The conversation I had with him was a very normal conversation between a player and a coach, speaking about football,’ Emery said.
‘The only thing I want from him is the best football… His capacity and potential is still being a huge potential to exploit. I don’t want to know the reason why he’s leaving Manchester (United), but I’m very happy to have him here.
‘I’m very happy to try and help him to recover his performances individually and collectively. My challenge with him is a huge challenge. His challenge with us is a very exciting challenge.’
