The symbolism was irresistible.
Manchester United, a club with its ‘Holy Trinity’ of George Best, Bobby Charlton and Denis Law and its rich and proud history of producing fabulous young, had some new heroes to take up the mantle.
Old Trafford has not been short of false dawns since Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2013 departure but something about February 4, 2024, felt authentic and hopeful.
Kobbie Mainoo was making his seventh consecutive Premier League start against West Ham and enjoying a sparkling breakthrough season, having scored a winner deep into stoppage time at Wolves in the previous game.
After a difficult start to life in England’s top flight, Rasmus Hojlund had scored in his past three Premier League appearances and extended that run to four when he opened the scoring against the Hammers.
It left Alejandro Garnacho, who came through the ranks at United like Mainoo after joining the club from Atletico Madrid as a 16-year-old, to take centre stage with a brace.
After Garnacho’s first goal, he ran towards the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand and sat on one of the advertising hoardings. Mainoo and Hojlund joined him on either side, photographers snapped and publications across the globe had their headline image for the match.
The trio recreated the picture at United’s old Cliff training ground to launch the team’s kit for 2024/25. Garnacho and Mainoo had each scored in the FA Cup final a month earlier to stun Manchester City and salvage a disappointing Premier League season under Erik ten Hag. If the future was to be bright at Old Trafford, they would be part of it.
Or so it seemed. Fast forward to late summer 2025 and the future of each player at United looks bleak. How has it come to this?
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What happened to Alejandro Garnacho at Man United
Garnacho followed 2023/24 by featuring as part of Argentina’s triumphant 2024 Copa America squad and returned to club action with the opening goal in the Community Shield against City at Wembley before United lost on penalties.
The winger looked sure to be a star at United for years to come, a reason for optimism despite Ten Hag being axed after a poor start to 2024/25. However, he seemingly displayed a little too much of this certainty for new boss Ruben Amorim’s liking and quickly found himself axed from the side despite the team’s continuing form slump.
Unlike Marcus Rashford, Garnacho found a way back into the first team after being omitted from the matchday squad for the dramatic 2-1 Manchester derby win last December. He was in 34 consecutive matchday squads after that, starting 25 times, but was benched for the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham and cut for the final weekend of the Premier League season against Aston Villa.
The following week, Amorim told Garnacho he was free to leave Old Trafford and he was omitted from the team’s pre-season tour. A long mooted move to Chelsea has yet to materialise, but seems as if it is a likely conclusion before the window shuts.
What happened to Rasmus Hojlund at Man United
While there are few doubt over Garnacho’s potential, with a personality clash between himself and Amorim ultimately to blame, Hojlund’s story is that of a footballer who has lost failed to gain the trust of his head coach.
A hulking striker with obvious natural attributes, the Denmark international struggled last term, scoring just four Premier League goals in 32 appearances. Despite regaining some form during pre-season, Hojlund has not featured since United returned to competitive action.
Mason Mount has started the first two league games as a false nine, with new signing Benjamin Sesko getting up to speed via substitute appearances. Joshua Zirkzee, who is superior to Hojlund in terms of link-up play, is also ahead of the 22-year-old in the pecking order.
A move back to Serie A, with Napoli and AC Milan having both been credited with an interest, looks the most likely outcome for the former Atalanta player.
What happened to Kobbie Mainoo at Man United
Of all the trio, if Mainoo left you sense it would cut United fans the deepest. A Mancunian lad who came through the youth system to star for club and country. This was the sort of story that could help to revive a great institution over a number of years, not one to be tossed away by a manager who is still yet to record consecutive league wins.
After his Premier League breakthrough in 2024, Mainoo was fast-tracked to an England squad that badly lacked tempo-setting midfielders under then-boss Gareth Southgate. He fought his way into the starting XI and brought a semblance of order to a messy England team, helping them to somehow plot a path to the final against Spain.
Mainoo’s problem is where he sits – or more where he doesn’t – within Amorim’s non-negotiable 3-4-2-1. The Portuguese tactician used Mainoo as one of the two attacking midfielders at times last season, but Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have started the season in those slots after their summer arrivals.
Amorim’s assertion that Mainoo is in competition with club captain Bruno Fernandes for a place in central midfield is hardly ideal for a player who is never likely to match the Portugal star in terms of goals and creative output. The diminutive 20-year-old also lacks the physicality Amorim seems to prefer in tandem with Fernandes. Manuel Ugarte and the ageing Casemiro will always have the jump on him there, as would mooted transfer target Carlos Baleba.
The Athletic reported on Monday that Mainoo was keen on an exit from Old Trafford and it’s hard to blame him in the circumstances, with no obvious place in Amorim’s unhelpfully rigid plans. While a move away is not a foregone conclusion, it does suddenly appear at least a possibility.
