Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has a “feeling” of who will come out on top between Manchester United and Bournemouth in their Premier League clash on Sunday.
Manchester United stunned Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side last weekend with a sensational 2-1 Premier League comeback win at the Etihad.
However, Ruben Amorim’s men crashed out of the Carabao Cup on Thursday evening after a 4-3 defeat to Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
United are currently 13th in the Premier League table under Ruben Amorim and the Red Devils are six points adrift from the top four.
The Red Devils have only managed six Premier League wins in 16 league matches played after a lacklustre 2024-25 campaign so far.
United managed only three wins from their opening nine matches before Erik ten Hag was sacked in late October, with the Red Devils 14th in the table at the time.
Bournemouth, on the other hand, are sixth in the Premier League table and are three points clear of the Red Devils and three points behind the top four.
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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim reacts during the Carabao Cup Quarter Final match between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at Tottenh...
Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
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Merson on Man Utd star ahead of Bournemouth match
Paul Merson offered his two cents on the situation around Marcus Rashford after the Manchester United star’s future at Old Trafford was plunged into serious doubt.
Ruben Amorim made the huge call to drop Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho from his matchday squad for United’s derby win over Manchester City.
Rashford’s form fell off a cliff last season and the United star has struggled to rediscover his scintillating goalscoring output from the 2022-23 campaign.
The 27-year-old United forward’s struggles also led to him losing his place in the England squad, including for the Three Lions’ Euro 2024 campaign in Germany.
Rashford has since broken his silence after Amorim’s decision and the England international has hinted that a move away from Old Trafford could happen.
Speaking in his column for Sportskeeda, Merson wrote: “Bournemouth went to Old Trafford and won last year, didn’t they? Interesting.
“I personally feel Manchester United look better under Ruben Amorim. They played some decent football against Manchester City in my opinion.
“But this is a very tough game to call, especially considering how much Bournemouth have improved since their win here last time around.
“Marcus Rashford recently spoke about his desire for a new challenge away from Manchester United.
“I don’t see him going anywhere though. United are on a rebuild and they are trying to sell one of their best players? What does that tell you about Rashford?
“If you are some other team and you want to sign him for £50-60 million at £200,000 per week, you are bound to think why are United even letting him go.”
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Merson talks Rashford and makes Man Utd prediction
Merson has insisted that he would be “shocked’ to see another team sign Rashford and believes that United are “stuck” with him due to his hefty wage bill.
The Sky Sports pundit also added that it would be a “shame” to see the Three Lions star leave for the Saudi Pro League considering his current age.
Outside of his verdict on Rashford, Merson suggested that United will “edge” a result against Bournemouth and has backed Amorim’s men to win 2-1.
“PSG spent a fortune on Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi and failed to win the Champions League,” he continued.
“Do they really want to repeat something similar with Rashford just to win Ligue 1, which they will anyway end up winning without him?
“I don’t see where he goes unless it’s Saudi Pro League and that would be a shame for him at this age.
“I’d be shocked if someone signs Rashford and that’s the problem for Manchester United.
“When you give out such contracts, there is always the risk of form changing, circumstances changing and now United are stuck.
“Even when Manchester United win, teams always end up having chances against them so that’s a problem. But I have a feeling they will edge it, despite this being a difficult game.”
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