Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola would take just one player from the Manchester United squad as it stands, it has been revealed, in a damning indictment of just where the once kings of the Premier League have fallen to.
Ratcliffe aiming to knock City “off their perch”
Since the departure of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, United have fallen from their perch at the top of English and European football. With only minor silverware to their name in the last decade, they have seen Manchester City overtake them as the unstoppable force in club football, with Guardiola’s side having matched the iconic treble of 1999 last season.
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Recent results have only served to demonstrate the gap clearly too, with United having beaten their noisy neighbours just twice in their last nine attempts, and watching them win four of the last five Premier League titles.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe now taking charge at Old Trafford, they will be hoping that the power dynamic shifts once more in Mancheste – the INEOS chief vowed to knock City and Liverpool “off their perch” – but Guardiola has offered a damning assessment of just how low the quality in the Red Devils squad is right now.
Guardiola keen on one Man Utd star
Now, a Football Insider report has claimed that given the choice, Pep Guardiola would take just one Manchester United star for his own squad, with everyone else believed to ‘not have the capacity’ to play in his system.
The Spaniard would only be keen on signing Marcus Rashford, with the Spaniard understood to rate his talent and style of play, while his pace and directness could offer something that would combine aspects of Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish’s game.
Rashford has struggled this season after an excellent 2022-23 campaign, and he has found the net just five times in the Premier League, while his off-the-field attitude has been questioned after he skipped training following a night out in Belfast, something that he has since apologised for. However, the report details that Ratcliffe is determined to keep the winger at Old Trafford.
Premier League stats | Rashford in 2022/23 | Rashford in 2023/24 |
Goals | 17 | 5 |
Expected goals | 15.4 | 5.9 |
Shots on target | 49 | 16 |
Shot accuracy | 45.4% | 30.8% |
Assists | 5 | 2 |
United fans have also criticised his work rate on the pitch, most recently for his attempted pressing against Luton Town, a clip that went viral on social media.
Despite this, there has of yet been no indication that any party would be interested in the move. Rashford came through the Manchester United academy and is unlikely to follow in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho or Carlos Tevez in swapping one side of the city for the other, while City would likely be reluctant to pay the massive fee that any move would almost certainly demand.
The Englishman penned fresh terms at Old Trafford just last summer and his contract is up in 2028 as things stand, with the arrival of Ratcliffe and the INEOS group not set to change their stance on the winger.
