Rio Ferdinand reacts to Jadon Sancho’s ‘freedom’ message to Marcus Rashford and offers theory behind stars performing better after leaving Man United
Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United stars seem to flourish after leaving Old Trafford because the ‘shackles are off’ once they have departed the club.
A host of first-team stars have found success outside of United, including Scott McTominay at Napoli and Anthony Elanga at Nottingham Forest.
Antony, widely derided as an £86million flop, has made a promising start to life on loan at Real Betis and Ferdinand claims academy graduate Marcus Rashford will also thrive during his temporary spell at Aston Villa.
In response to Jadon Sancho’s ‘freedom’ comment to Rashford on Instagram, which has angered United fans, Ferdinand pinpointed the reason why players appear to prosper after they’ve left the club.
‘You look at Antony, he’s got a man-of-the-match performance and a goal and assist in two games,’ Ferdinand said on his Rio Presents podcast.
‘McTominay is playing like primetime Jude Bellingham at the moment. You’ve got Elanga, who’s a flying winger.
Rio Ferdinand has reacted to Jadon Sancho’s ‘freedom’ comment to Marcus Rashford
United academy graduate Rashford made his debut for Aston Villa in the 2-1 win over Spurs
Ferdinand has pinpointed why he feels United stars succeed once they have left Old Trafford
‘You’ve got all these players that are leaving the club that are looking like new, dynamic footballers because the shackles are off, and the cloud and the pressure of Old Trafford, the badge, all that that brings, is allowing them to go “you know what, wow, what a difference that is”.
‘You’re probably going to see the same from Rashford. It’s about unlocking what has unlocked Old Trafford for these players to perform.’
Rashford signed on loan at Villa until the end of the season after falling out with manager Ruben Amorim. He could depart on a permanent basis as the Midlands club have a £40m option to buy the England international in the summer.
The 27-year-old was only named in one matchday squad by Amorim after his last United appearance, which came in a 2-1 win over Viktoria Plzen in December.
Ahead of his exit, Rashford was frequently criticised by both fans and pundits for his attitude on and off the pitch, weighed down by the responsibility of being one of the Red Devils’ most senior players and highest earners.
Amorim also publicly questioned Rashford’s lifestyle and commitment and warned the star he must change if he were to have any hope of breaking back into his plans.
In an astonishing comment, the Portuguese claimed he would rather put 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital on the bench than a player ‘who doesn’t give the maximum’ in response to a question about the wantaway star.
Antony moved to Spain with Real Betis until the end of the current campaign and was named man of the match on his debut in the 2-2 draw with Athletic Bilbao on February 3. The Brazilian then scored his first goal for his new club in the 3-2 defeat by Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Scott McTominay is flourishing at Napoli, becoming a star man for boss Antonio Conte
McTominay left for Napoli in a deal worth £25m last summer.
The Scottish midfielder has since established himself as a key man under Antonio Conte, scoring more goals than United’s Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund in the league combined.
McTominay, who ex-United manager Erik ten Hag wanted to keep, has six goals in 23 league games for the Serie A side and also has four assists.
Elanga has also revived his career since moving to Forest. The Swedish star, who left United for £15m in the summer of 2023, has eight goals and 17 assists for the club.
