Man Utd CURSE is real: Amorim’s Bomb Squad shine as Red Devils thumped by City

Robin Bairner

• 15 Sept 2025 07:00 BST
• 4 min read

News

Scott McTominay’s Ballon d’Or nomination is only the tip of the iceberg as players continue to immediately shine after leaving Manchester United, with Andre Onana, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund all decisive this weekend.

It was mission accomplished for Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim in the transfer market , but on the field it was another rough experience for the Portuguese this week as he watched his side thumped 3-0 by Manchester City in Sunday’s derby.

A double from Erling Haaland added to an earlier strike from Phil Foden as Pep Guardiola’s side claimed a comfortable victory at the Etihad.

The heavy loss to City immediately wiped out any good vibes gained from the feeling of finally managing to shake Andre Onana from the club’s squad – particularly as the players Amorim had sent away this summer all managed to shine at their new clubs.

Calamity goalkeeper Onana made a move to Trabzonspor in Turkey, having left the Portuguese cool over his performances and attitude. Onana’s reputation was in tatters as he left the Red Devils, with his final outing the embarrassing Carabao Cup loss against Grimsby last month.

Current ETV

André Onana

GK

Trabzonspor

André Onana

GK

Trabzonspor

€27.4M

ETV Range

€24.6M - €30.1M

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But like so many Man Utd players before him, he clicked into top gear immediately after leaving Old Trafford.

Thrown in at the deep end for Trabzonspor, who were reduced to 10 men against Fenerbahce, Onana produced a masterclass, even as his side slipped to a 1-0 defeat. He faced 29 shots, made eight saves and prevented 1.63 goals.

Onana was far from an exception, though. Amorim’s Bomb Squad lit up European football this weekend.

How did Man Utd's Bomb Squad perform?

Rasmus Hojlund, a player whose confidence in front of goal seemed at rock bottom, hit the ground running for Atalanta. The Dane, who has been replaced by Benjamin Sesko at Old Trafford, scored on debut for Napoli, leaving head coach Antonio Conte to mock United.

“Hojlund is only 22 years old, we got him from Manchester United, seeing as it brought us luck doing that with McTominay,” joked the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss.

“We knew his qualities, he has great potential and can improve. You can see he’s a lad with great prospects.”

Hojlund replaces the long-term injured Romelu Lukaku, another former Man Utd star, who played a key role in Napoli’s Serie A title win last season.

Back in England, Alejandro Garnacho made a positive start at Chelsea, too. While the Argentine switched off for Brentford’s equaliser in a 2-2 draw, the Argentine showed his offensive potential by creating the Blues’ go-ahead goal for Moises Caicedo. No assist was credited to him, but the run and cross was the catalyst for the Ecuadorian’s stunning hit.

What of the other stars Amorim ushered out of the Old Trafford exit?

Marcus Rashford grabbed an assist for Barcelona in a 6-0 win over Valencia at the Estadi Johan Cruyff, while Antony helped Real Betis fight back from 2-0 down in Levante to pick up a point.

Indeed, the only Bomb Squad member not to make an impact was Jadon Sancho, who failed to get a minute as his loan move to Aston Villa started with a scoreless draw against Everton.

All this seems to suggest that it really is Man Utd that is the problem and not their players.