Marcus Rashford among Man Utd quartet in top 10 market value decreases this season

It’s pretty clear why Sir Jim Ratcliffe so desperately wants to change Manchester United’s transfer strategy given this list of players with the greatest market value decreases this season is topped by Antony – who’s a long way ahead of anyone else – and features a further three Red Devils.

We’ve differentiated players with the same decrease in market value by the percentage decrease, with all data courtesy of Transfermarkt.

Here are the market value increases if you’re feeling positive.

10) Pedri (Barcelona): €100m to €80m (-€20m)

Injuries have blighted his season and seemingly his market value, though it will presumably spike again if he gets himself fit and firing for the latter stages of the Champions League and Euro 2024.

9) Randal Kolo Muani (PSG): €80m to €60m (-€20m)

It’s fair to say it’s not really gone to plan for Kolo Muani since his £82m move from Frankfurt in the summer, with fellow arrival Bradley Barcola the preferred option of manager Luis Enrique. Kylian Mbappe’s imminent departure for Real Madrid will surely grant the 25-year-old far more opportunities after a debut season in which he’s started just nine Ligue 1 games.

8) Marcus Rashford (Manchester United): €80m to €60m (-€20m)

We’re wondering which member of the Paris Saint-Germain recruitment team is working for Transfermarkt, because sure, Rashford isn’t having a great season, but there’s no way anyone should be able to sign a 25-year-old forward who’s scored 131 goals for Manchester United and has 59 England caps for £51m.

The £80m the French giants are apparently willing to offer is closer to the mark, but may not be enough for United and Ratcliffe, who is after nine figures.

7) Mason Mount (Manchester United): €60m to €40m (-€20m)

He’s been beset by injury this season, starting just four Premier League games, and that’s definitely a key factor in his diminished value, but him failing to score and providing just one assist in over 600 minutes of action contributes just as much.

There was very little sign of Mount reaching his Chelsea heights in his limited game time for the Red Devils, and it feels like there’s very little hope – even among the United fans – of him coming good in what’s left of the season. Quite simply, Erik ten Hag bought a player for whom there is no place in his team.

6) Joao Cancelo (Manchester City): €50m to €30m (-€20m)

Very easy to forget that Cancelo remains on the Manchester City books, mainly because there is quite clearly no way back after his tiff with Pep Guardiola. The Citizens have told Barcelona they will have to pay his market value if they want to keep him, which is reasonably likely even given their financial woes, given the Portugal international’s started all but two La Liga games and all of their Champions League games this season.

5) Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid): €50m to €30m (-€20m)

Chelsea really dodged a bullet here, having stood in the way of most shots fired their way since Todd Boehly took charge. Bought for £113m by Atletico Madrid five years ago, the La Liga side now can’t get rid of him for love nor (far more pertinently) money.

They apparently still want €70m for the 24-year-old, but there’s no chance current loaners Barcelona can stump up that fee, particularly given he’s only managed six goals and two assists in La Liga for them this season.

4) Jadon Sancho (Manchester United): €45m to €25m (-€20m)

Turns out it’s quite important for a footballer to be playing football to retain their value. Truly incredible that a player who’s just 23 years old has been a) around long enough and b) so good and then so bad to see his value drop by €105m. Good news for Sancho is it rose by €125m to that peak in March 2020 in his time with the club that he’s now re-joined and thriving for.

MEDIAWATCH: Look at the misery on the face of poor Jadon Sancho, living a ‘life in limbo’

Jadon Sancho celebrates goal for Borussia Dortmund.

3) Wesley Fofana: €55m to €32m (-€23m)

He’s missed 130 games through injury since May 2021, starting just 31 in that time. He may never return to his peak and people will as a result suggest he was never worth the  €80m Chelsea paid for him. When he was good he was really bloody good though.

2) Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg: €45m to €20m (-€25m)

He’s featured in all but one Premier League game under Ange Postecoglou this season but has started just six of them, and he’ll surely be on his way this summer if Spurs manage to lure Conor Gallagher from Chelsea, or another midfielder, with that area of the pitch seemingly the priority.

A €25m drop feels harsh before you question how on earth Hojbjerg was valued at €45m at the start of the campaign. Spurs will be hoping for a good showing at Euro 2024 for the Denmark international to lift that price tag up again. We wait to learn Jose Mourinho’s next club before we can know Hojbjerg’s.

1) Antony: €60m to €28m (-€32m)

He’s now dropped below the market value he was at (€35m) when Manchester United signed him for €95m, a transfer fee which led to what was quite clearly a false top value of €75m in the summer of 2022. A 63% drop in 20 months is good going, even for United.

Difficult though he makes it for us to feel sorry for him, it’s not Antony’s fault that Erik ten Hag asked his clueless transfer chiefs to pay significantly more than the GDP of Tuvalu for a player whose one trick of cutting inside onto his left-foot was sussed out within a month by opposition managers, rendering him entirely useless ever since, save for a shot with his swinger against Liverpool.