Louis Saha Exclusive: Ex-Manchester United Legend issues a warning to Marcus Rashford

Louis Saha spoke to BettingOdds.com earlier this week as we approach the Premier League season. The ex-United forward issued a warning to Marcus Rashford to not become complacent after he signed a long-term deal. He also spoke about why the Glazers are 'savage' for prolonging the sale of Manchester United, as well as United’s captaincy change, their transfer activity this window, who he thinks will be the first manager to be sacked and what Dele Alli can do to revive his career.

"Maguire has been stripped of the captaincy, do you think it would be best for his career if he were to leave?"

Anyone who knows football will know that Maguire losing his captaincy would have been something discussed during the season and with a new season starting, the manager would have wanted to avoid all the unnecessary talks and distractions. The team needs to be in the right place and when you have a player of Harry Maguire’s stature being the captain and not playing much, it’s not great.

It’s an awkward situation to be in but I think it’s fair to change captaincy. It’s clear he has to think about his future and his personal motivation. It’s a logical decision and considering the form and the attitude of Bruno Fernandes it makes sense. 

"Bruno has been named Maguire’s replacement as club captain, despite some criticism last season from fans about his body language. Is he the right man for the job?"

I think Bruno is the right man to lead United. You don’t get the leadership qualities required for  captaincy naturally, you have to learn it from other players. All the big players have done it. I think Bruno has learned over the years. Criticism will help Bruno improve his body language, but that’s just who Bruno is, it’s natural. When Wayne Rooney was making mistakes he would shout at players and sometimes have bad body language, that doesn’t mean he was a bad leader.

He’s a human being, so people will judge, but at the end he is one of the hardest workers, he’s always busy on the pitch. Sometimes yes, he will shout at players, but he’s doing it the way he feels he has to do it. I will never criticise Bruno for that, he is full on, people might like it or dislike it, but he never underperforms so credit to him. 

"Andre Onana has completed his move to United - how much of an impact do you think he will have?"

I think Onana will have a huge impact. He will be the biggest difference in the team from last year, and will change the team in the same way Casemiro did last year. Onana will change games thanks to his passing and the way he controls the game and put pressure 20-30 yards up the field because of his distribution.

He’s very clever, he’s more than just a goalkeeper. It’s like playing with 11 outfielders - he’s an extra man. He’s open to making mistakes and he has to adapt to another country but he’s proved that before going from Ajax to Inter Milan.

He’s a great goalkeeper, a great shot-stopper and it allows Manchester United to play a different way. All these things will help the balance of the squad and teams will be thinking differently about pressing Manchester United. 

"Rasmus Hojlund looks to be United’s first-choice striker transfer target - what do you make of this?" 

I’m sure that behind the scenes at Manchester United the first target is still Harry Kane, or at least it should be. When you look at the profile of Hojlund, he’s tall, athletic and has a great left foot. He definitely has the skill to adapt to the Premier League and will be helped by Rashford, Mount, Antony and Sancho, with these he’ll definitely create a lot of chances.

He’s a player that not only Manchester United are after. He’s a big prospect and he knows what he wants. When you’re in the national team for Denmark you know he’s a good player. But again, the first choice must be Harry Kane, it would be a big mistake to not go for him, if you sign him, I think you get a guaranteed trophy and 30 goal contributions easily.

"£85m has been quoted for Hojlund - isn't that too high a price?"

Yes it’s a high price that’s for sure, but you have to gamble. But he’s only 20 and United aren’t the only ones interested, PSG are after him as well. There aren’t many strikers available at the moment, especially one as athletic and as skilful as him.

He’s a big asset for Atalanta, so it’s fair. That’s the business at the moment, crazy prices I don’t understand. It seems like everyone is being compared to Kylian Mbappe and the transfer fees are sky high because of it.

"A few people have said with the addition of Mason Mount, Manchester United’s midfield of Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Mount could be the best in the Premier League. How do you think they shape up against the rest?"

I’m so excited about United’s midfield, it’s very balanced. Two players with huge energy in Fernandes and Mount, they’ll run all day. Then you have Casemiro who will control the midfield from back to front. It’s going to be amazing. They’re all so reliable and consistent, they will be able to play 60 games a season and not lose any of their creativity and quality.

Definitely it’s one of the best in the Premier League, but I think it’s still missing one more midfielder to cover Casemiro or Eriksen. United have lost Sabitzer and most likely Fred this window they need one more to remain the same energy and quality in Casemiro’s absence. A striker is a big priority but the midfield still needs one more.

"Donny Van de Beek put in an impressive performance in preseason against Lyon. Would you keep him around and do you think he could have an impact for United this season?"

I think it’s going to be interesting to see where Donny’s fitness is in the next few days. One good pre-season game is good, but it’s not enough. He needs to add some consistency into his game and improve his mentality after coming back from an injury. 

The signing of Casemiro really helps players like Donny van de Beek, the creative players can thrive as they don’t have to focus on defensive duties. If Donny can understand his role, he’s a very smart player, he will have success at United, but he has to be patient and be willing to go out of his comfort zone. He’s a Dutch international, it’s not like he’s a bad player. With Casemiro and Mount now in the squad the midfield style is different so it’ll be exciting to see where he fits in.

"Marcus Rashford finally signed a long-term deal after months of speculation. How important will he be to the club moving forward?"

It’s very important, it was crucial, but I have a warning for Marcus Rashford. When you sign a new contract you feel relieved, but that’s not what we want. He cannot be complacent now. I want him to be as aggressive as ever, he should be aiming to be one of the top three players in the world.

I ask for a lot from him because I know he’s unbelievable. He’s got everything to carry Manchester United and England to some trophies. I want him to be happy and proud of his new contract, but as we've seen in the past, it has a strange effect on some players so he needs to make sure he works even harder than he did last year. He will have to forget about last year and get to a standard that we know he can reach. I'm a big fan of Rashford and would do anything to help him.

"How do you think United fans would respond to the Glazer’s doing a U-Turn on their decision to sell the club?"

I think the Glazers are savage. It’s really bad. You don’t do stuff like this. I’m astonished to see what they’re doing. I’m very concerned and I don’t like it, but that’s their business. This is football, it’s more than just a business, this isn’t like a grocery store. Families are behind football clubs, supporters are behind the club. I’m a big supporter of Manchester United and I really feel for them. 

If they do another U-turn and decide to not sell the club, then they need to offer a similar investment a new takeover would give. They have to invest in the stadium, in the team, in the academy, to please the fans and please the manager. Ten Hag’s been doing a great job and they owe him something. They need to communicate better.

"There’s been an outpouring of support across the football world for Dele Alli after his interview with your old teammate Gary Neville. First of all, what would you say to Dele given this situation?"

It’s fantastic that Gary Neville was able to do this interview and get to show us the fragility of footballers and what they might go through. It’s hard to hear and it’s very emotional, it’s hard to put into words. To have it be a footballer will have been really helpful, if it was a journalist you may struggle to open up more.

He’s been very honest and that’s great, but also, we don’t have the answer, only he can find the answer. He seems to be very open, which is great to see. When you do an interview like this, it’s already a step forward and now he’s going to get support. He will now get the right environment as they’re aware of his situation and that should result in getting a talented footballer back on the field, that’s what he loves.

I don’t think he understood that previously, now he knows. That’s why he’s hurting, he wants to play football. He wants to get back to being a player and a kid. He’s been carrying a lot of weight on his shoulders emotionally and he needs to start enjoying football again and supporters will give him all the time he needs. 

"Where do you think is the best place for him to get back to his best? There’s been talk of him staying at Everton, rejoining his old manager Pochettino at Chelsea or even going back to Spurs."

What is the most important thing now is he just needs to be with people that understand his needs. He needs to be at a club where he is seen as a human being, not just as a piece of meat, or an asset. He can’t have any toxicity any more. This interview has shown that he is such a strong character and he will be ready, but he needs to be somewhere that will appreciate him. I really hope he can find the right club that will help him get back to being a top player

"Jonny Evans has been brought in for the preseason tour as defensive cover. Do you think they should give him a permanent deal as backup to Varane and Martinez?"

Signing Jonny could be useful for United.  He knows the club really well and he has been a top player for a long time. I know how professional he is and how committed he is, so it makes total sense. He knows at this stage of his career that he wouldn’t start many games but would be reliable when called upon and would be a leader in the dressing room. He reads the game so well, he can pass, he is strong. I know it’s a short-term deal but the manager could well see him as a very useful player to keep around, it’s the kind of signing I have 100% backing for.

"Given their current squad, where do you see United finishing this year - can they challenge for the title?"

Man United can absolutely challenge for the title. They didn’t start so strong last year but once they figured out what the manager wants they looked like one of the best teams in the league. If they can continue on that form there’s no reason why they cant challenge City and Arsenal. They are having an excellent, smart transfer window and will continue to bring players in that will improve them. The balance is very strong across the squad, they are aggressive and creative which is a dangerous mix to come up against, so I think they are absolutely one of the best teams in the league.

"Assuming City, Arsenal and United make up the top three, which team is in the best position to finish fourth - Liverpool, Newcastle, Spurs, Chelsea, Villa?"

I invite anyone to predict the top seven positions in the Premier League this year - it’s impossible! This season will be the greatest Premier League season ever. I’m really excited. City and Liverpool have been great for a long time but now we have Arsenal caught up, United will be up there, Chelsea will be back this year after getting a new manager and making some smart deals. I think Chelsea will finish fourth this year as I think having Pochettino and no European football to worry about should make them a threat but there are will be so many teams battling it out at the top of the league this year and English football can be proud.

"Who do you think will be the first manager to get sacked this year?"

This is a tough question to answer! I think the Tottenham job is a tough one, and we have seen in the past few years some top managers struggle there. If in the first few games Spurs don’t start well under Postecoglou I could see him being under a bit of pressure. The Kane situation hasn’t been solved and it’s a new manager with a new system so there is a lot of question marks, so he is the first name that’s come to mind when I think of the first sacking. It is really hard to predict what’s going to happen and in modern football even if you are a manager of a newly promoted team and you struggle in the first 10 games you could get sacked which I just don’t think is fair at all, so it is hard to say.