How do we define is prospect? Rooney came to the club after Ronaldo. To be honest Martial was much more talented than Garnacho who I admire just as much for his mentality as his skill. Personally in the current I rate Mainoo’s potential a little higher.
17
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 45
- Goals
- 9
- Assists
- 5
- Yellow cards
- 4
He's got more potential than any other player we've had since Ronaldo. Who's had more for you?
The only other ones in contention would be Pogba or Rashford. Maybe Mainoo now but he's only just btltoke through.
Ah, well, then we just don't agree on what his ceiling is.
Just off the top of my head, Martial, Rashford, Pogba, Greenwood, Hojlund, Mainoo were / are destined for bigger things, than him. Maybe even Januzaj
By the way, Rashford last season IMO was better, than Ronaldo 06/07
I forget Rooney signed after Ronaldo. He had more potential than anyone at the time. He was better than Ronaldo at first and I thought he'd be the better player in the long run. We were lucky to have both of them.
Martial you could argue too. Although apart from that one season, he never looked like he'd cement a place in the team. As talented as he was. Injuries probably played a part in that.
Martial was not handled properly by Jose in 16-17 season. Didn't think Jose ever fancied him. Injuries started to hamper later on but I feel had van gal stayed for one more season or had we got Poch type manager instead of Jose , maybe it would have been better for the development for rashford and martial.
He had two really great seasons at United: His first one in 2015/16, where he was basically our best player, and then Ole's first full season in 2019/20, where he scored 17 PL goals, had 34 goal involvements in all competitions, and was part of that deadly young trio we had with him, Rashford, and Greenwood.
You say this with conviction but the 11 shirt in Denmark is a traditional centre forward number worn by the likes of Brian Laudrup. Hoijlund may not want to switch numbers.
Hate them both but I think Pogba and Greenwood had more potential than Garnacho.
I dont agree on Greenwood.
Maybe it was true regarding Pogba. But how do you define potential? Pogba always had mental and tactical issues.
Garnacho is the most well-rounded attacker I have seen at Man Utd at such a young age since Wayne Rooney. And unlike Rooney, he is not the «finished article».
Last season wasn't even Rashford's best season. He may have scored more goals, but other than that his all-round game was fairly poor for most of the season. He was better in 19/20, and in neither season was he anywhere near as good an all-round player as Ronaldo in 06/07. Ronaldo was the best player in the world that season (Kaka taking advantage of our injury-devastated defence in the CL doesn't change that), while Rashford arguably wasn't even our best player last season, let alone being close to being the best in England or the world.
I do largely agree with you about Garnacho though. I don't think he's quite as good as what many are making out, although I would love for him to prove me wrong.
I accept your opinion, and also think it was such a different era tactically, that it's difficult to draw a conclusion if you compared the two seasons. Ronaldo also played for the best team in England that was a serious CL contender at the time. Rashford's never played in side that's anything more than a top 4 team. Even the best teams he played in were always a good 2 or 3 years away from seriously competing for the PL/CL: 17/18, 20/21, 22/23
Last season wasn't even Rashford's best season. He may have scored more goals, but other than that his all-round game was fairly poor for most of the season. He was better in 19/20, and in neither season was he anywhere near as good an all-round player as Ronaldo in 06/07. Ronaldo was the best player in the world that season (Kaka taking advantage of our injury-devastated defence in the CL doesn't change that), while Rashford arguably wasn't even our best player last season, let alone being close to being the best in England or the world.
I do largely agree with you about Garnacho though. I don't think he's quite as good as what many are making out, although I would love for him to prove me wrong.
Have to remember that Ronaldo was the most important player in turning a team that had struggled for three years back into the best team in the world. Coming into 06/07 we certainly weren't seen as the best in England or a serious CL contender (we'd been knocked out in the group stage the previous season, finishing last in the group).
Now obviously he wasn't the only reason for us suddenly becoming great again, but in a team of top players he was the standout. And we now know it was the start of him becoming one of the greatest of all time. Rashford of last season wasn't even close to be honest.
But 06/07 wasn't a GOAT level season yet, just a world class one, and the start of him being a world class player and our poster boy, basically. If we're just comparing the two seasons (which is what I'm doing), Rashford had better numbers, and at least similar impact, in a much worse team.
Firstly, there's more than just goals. Ronaldo's general play was massively better than Rashford's in their respective seasons.
Secondly, Rashford's total is padded quite significantly by 12 goals and 4 assists in the EFL and Europa League competitions and the relatively weak competition he faced there. In the league Ronaldo got the same amount of goals and more assists despite playing a game less.
Yes we were a weaker team with Rashford, but we were completely built around creating goal scoring opportunities for him. Ronaldo had to share the goals, and he was still being played closer to a normal winger that season (which is another reason the pure 'numbers' don't tell the full story). It wasn't until the following season that he became a true wide forward in the same way that Rashford is used. You're basically saying that Rashford of last season would have been the best player in the world in 06/07, which honestly I find a bit ridiculous.
How long before Madrid come sniffing around? Whenever we produce great young talents one of the Spanish clubs always come in for them, especially Madrid. How many of our players have they robbed over the years.
Not that many.
Seems unlikely while they have Vinicius and Rodrygo. Still Endrick to come as well, although not sure he's a winger. I'd bet they'd look to sign the next exciting young winger over Garnacho. Getting United to sell would be way more expensive.
Not recent years but between 2003 and 2010.
Ye no one would be guaranteed first choice by joining them with them players ahead of them but when there injured or unavailable there depth isn’t that great.
I feel like the financial power of the Premier League makes it way more difficult for Madrid and Barcelona to poach the best talent from England these days.
I also don't think Garnacho is someone they will be looking at, IMO.
Vinicius Rodrygo (Mbappe) and Brahim Diaz is strong depth for Garnacho's position. Unless Garnacho becomes world class it's probably a move he wants more than they do.
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You have lost the plot.
He wouldn't get near the Madrid XI now let alone when they add Mbappe, lets calm down a bit.
He’s only able to start in a much worse team. In the 06/07 team Rashford would be relegated to the bench with a few starts here and there and an otherwise backup role. He was light years behind , even last season, to Ronaldo 06/07. This comparison is ridiculous.
I think Garnacho will stay loyal to us. He’s trying to put of teams that are interested in him by one of his latest posts… ‘I love this club’
In fairness he'd likely have played up front whenever Louis Saha was injured, but I don't think he'd have got many starts over Ronaldo or Giggs. Can't remember if we had Park too but he was a big game player. If I had to guess I'd say Rashford would have started about half our games that season and maybe come off the bench in half of the remainder.
One? Ronaldo is the only player Real have signed from us that we didn't want to sell. De Gea almost happened as well.
You seem to be including Ruud and Beckham, despite the fact that we actively wanted to sell both of them. It's like saying we 'robbed' them of Di Maria.
Real were effectively signing our cast-offs during that period. There was also Heinze, Chicharito (on loan) and of course taking our assistant manager to be their manager (Queiroz).
Meh, it might not be a better season, but I think it's a lot closer than people think. And I wasn't even debating who the better player was between 2006 Ronaldo and 2023 Rashford, just compared these 2 individual seasons
Also, if Rashford was stat-padding in the EL and domestic cups last season, the same argument can be used against Ronaldo:
-2 of his 3 CL goals came in the 7-1 mauling of Roma, which would've happened without him anyways, even though he played very well, and then the only other goal he scored was admittedly a very important one against Milan in the semis.
-In the PL, he didn't score or assist even a single time vs the big 4 (Arsenal Chelsea Liverpool at the time)
-His FA Cup goals and assists came against Middlesbrough, Reading and Watford.
Rashford scored and/or assisted vs Barcelona, Liverpool, both Arsenal games, City, Spurs, Chelsea, and Newcastle as well. Ronaldo's goals vs strong teams were against Roma, Milan, Spurs and you could say Everton.
It's way closer than you believe.
It’s not. Ronaldo was about thrice the player Rashford was last season. It’s funny because Ronaldo often looks like a stat oriented player compared to Messi’s all round genius. But Rashford mid table level general play makes Ronaldo’s general play look genius. Joke comparison.
Classic Garnacho performance…full backs must hate him as he never stops.
Which reminds me one full back managed to shut him out at the start of the season. I can’t remember who, it might have been Fulham?
It was the second time he’d been shut out completely so the game stayed in my memory! just the opponent didn’t.
(Not a question for @top1whoisman but thanks for the link, good to see him get a good half of international footie)
I swear some of our fanbase have an inferiority complex when Madrid comes knocking our door for our players. I say feck them and we are going to keep the players we want. Remember the picture of him, Mainoo and Rasmus sitting and celebrating together after the goal, they are going to achieve great things for our club in many years to come
Nonsense. He played in a better team with the best manager in history. Put Ronaldo 06 07 in our team last season and he wouldn't have done much better.
It's not an unreasonable statement. In the last 3 seasons Rashford has demonstrated more midtable general ability on the ball than otherwise, be it on decision making, physicality, playing with his back to goal or work rate.
This is overrating Garnacho massively.
The non debatables are Pogba, Martial and Greenwood, they were easily better than Garnacho, Pogba and Greenwood are especially easy to prove as they were far better at youth level for us. Then you have Rashford and Mainoo whose early performances were better than Garnacho also.
Then you have players like Anderson, Phil Jones and Rafael who many fans even on here thought they’d go to the very top when they joined as 18/19yos.
I think all the players above are more talented but what does shine through in Garnacho is his mentality. While he might not be as natural as a talent as the players above he seems determined to reach the top which is what I really like about him.
Let’s see what happens and I’ve not said he had but it was reported, all this crying in defence of a player that still has very average stats, although huge potential
26 PL games 5 goals 3 assists - 1 GI in 3.25 Pl games and overall 38 games 7 goals 4 assists so 1 in 3.45.
How this mighty club has fallen when someone gets upset that we might sell a 19 year old for £85m/€100m which would represent huge profit and basically allow the club to spend £400m on a total rebuild this summer, is he truly generational, he has good, then great then poor games as he’s still learning!
Will he ever be 1 in 1 GI per Game?, incidentally which is what Rashford achieved last season, all our strikers have been meh since Ronaldo first coming and Zlatan!
Which reminds me one full back managed to shut him out at the start of the season. I can’t remember who, it might have been Fulham?
it was the Spurs full back Udogie
it was the Spurs full back Udogie
Whilst true, the majority of Udogie's defending against him were blatant fouls that the ref didn't call for whatever reason.
I was thinking how is it possible that someone would think Rashford was better than 06/07 Ronaldo. Then I remembered that it was over 15 years ago and some people are probably just too young to remember it and only see the highlights and the stats. It is like me, a fan who grew up through the 2000s not understanding how good Bryan Robson was in the 80s. Ronaldo was sensational that season.