Alejandro Garnacho has been at the centre of several incidents with United (Image: Getty)
Alejandro Garnacho’s time at Manchester United has been a rollercoaster of stunning skill and headline-making controversies.
The young Argentine’s journey with the Red Devils has been marked by stark contrasts, showcasing his immense potential alongside several contentious episodes. The latest buzz around Garnacho came when he, along with Marcus Rashford, were unexpectedly left out of the squad for the Manchester derby on Sunday, sparking widespread media speculation.
Despite United’s thrilling 2-1 victory over City, the absence of Garnacho, who had featured in every Premier League game this season until then, became a focal point of discussion. However, United’s head coach Ruben Amorim downplayed the situation, insisting “it was not a disciplinary thing” and that it was merely about players “fighting for their places”.
Garnacho won the Puskas award for his goal against Everton (Image: Getty Images)
Ironically, just after being sidelined for the derby, Garnacho won the coveted Puskas award for his extraordinary overhead kick against Everton last term, epitomising the highs and lows of his tenure in United’s first team. Now as Garnacho faces a battle to secure his spot in the first XI once more we take a look at the starlet’s controversial history with United, as per the Mirror.
Response to being dropped
Garnacho faced a tough lesson after manager Amorim left him out of the squad for the victory over City. However, the United gaffer has praised his strong response, although he did note that the young Argentinian was not pleased initially.
“Really good. Trained really well,” Amorim said to club media. “He seems a little bit upset with me and that is perfect. I was really, really happy because I would do the same and he is ready for this game. So we’ll see in the end of this training.” Here, Express Sport take a closer look at his controversial moments in red.
Team leak accusations
In another storm brewing at Old Trafford, rumours swirled around Garnacho regarding team leaks, specifically ahead of the clash with City, where United’s starting lineup was prematurely disclosed. Accusations briefly pointed at Garnacho and his brother Roberto, but the club has dismissed these as “rubbish.” Instead, the leaks are thought to emanate from a ‘network of people with varying motivations and incentives’.
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Argument with United fan
Adding further strife, the young forward found himself embroiled in a conflict with a United supporter following Ruud van Nistelrooy’s final game as manager. Despite netting one of the goals in a 3-0 win over Leicester City, Garnacho opted not to celebrate, sparking rumours per The Telegraph that it was because he felt the fans had waned in their support of him throughout the season.
This was perhaps compounded when a fan accosted him ahead of a Europa League clash with PAOK earlier this season. “Garnacho, you got to pass better today, please,” the United fan said.
“Pass better score a goal and work on your first touch, yeah?” The 20-year-old then hit back succinctly, saying: “Why are you not playing, bro?”
Bruno Fernandes’ opinion on him
United’s skipper Fernandes has weighed in on the debate surrounding the promising yet contentious youngster. In a post-match interview with BT Sport following a Europa League clash with Real Sociedad in November 2022, Fernandes acknowledged Garnacho’s potential but didn’t shy away from mentioning a disciplinary issue during the club’s summer tour in 2022, where Garnacho was benched for tardiness.
Fernandes has come out in support of Garnacho (Image: Getty Images)
“He was good, but he knows that we expect a lot from him,” Fernandes said. “Obviously he’s still really young, he’s doing really well. He was not at his best at the beginning of the season.
“On the tour he didn’t have the best attitude that he should have had, and that’s why he didn’t get his chances until now. He’s getting his chances because he’s training better, having a different attitude and deserving his chances.”
Speaking to MUFC TV, Fernandes has doubled down on his previous remarks by highlighting the youngster’s earlier shortcomings. He said: “He didn’t get his chances before because he was not good enough in training and not good enough mentality-wise. He’s changed that, that’s why he’s getting chances. Everyone is really happy for him.” However, more recently, Fernandes has praised Garnacho’s development and commitment to improve.
Just last month, Fernandes spoke out again to back Garnacho following muted celebrations of a stunning goal against Leicester amidst the flak aimed at the youngster throughout the season. Defending the winger, Fernandes said: “Garnacho scored a banger but didn’t celebrate like he should because he thinks he has lost faith from some fans. I told him people will always moan, but lots of people like you and enjoy what you do. I told him to celebrate, it was something special. He is a special player, we have difference-makers. They are the ones who win us games.”
Garnacho apologised to Ten Hag (Image: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
An apology to Ten Hag
In a notable act of contrition, Garnacho directed an apology to former United boss Erik ten Hag after endorsing social media content critical of Ten Hag’s decision to substitute him in last year’s match against Bournemouth. The forward, who was taken off at the break during the 2-2 stalemate in April, liked posts ridiculing Ten Hag for depicting him as the scapegoat of the half-time change.
Following the incident, Garnacho reversed his likes for those comments.”Alejandro is a young player, he has to learn a lot,” Ten Hag said at the time. “He apologised for it and after that we move on.”
Altercation with Casemiro
Garnacho may have reason to feel slightly aggrieved with the United fans, but some of their frustration stems from several underwhelming performances this season. A notable incident occurred during the draw with Chelsea in November when Casemiro was seen berating Garnacho for failing to track back.
On one occasion, Garnacho carelessly lost possession, prompting Casemiro to make a desperate tackle to break up a counter-attack. The youngster had picked up the ball on the edge of the area but failed to beat Caicedo, turning away from goal and ignoring his team-mates’ calls for a pass before being dispossessed by Pedro Neto, who quickly launched a Chelsea counter-attack.
Casemiro, infuriated by Garnacho’s lack of urgency, confronted him and began shouting. A video of the incident went viral on social media, prompting United legend Gary Neville to criticise Garnacho’s “disappointing” work rate.
Lionel Messi incident
A strange story once centred around Lionel Messi unfollowing Garnacho on Instagram due to the 20-year-old’s admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the truth behind the story is far less sensational.
In a surprising twist, it was rumoured that Messi unfollowed Garnacho after the latter’s celebration mimicking Ronaldo’s iconic ‘SIUUU’ stance. However, on his YouTube programme Vibe with Five, Rio Ferdinand said: “Do you know what I love about him? He don’t give a f***. My lad said to me that Messi’s unfollowed him. Because he comes out, ‘I’m a Ronaldo man. Who’s the GOAT? Ronaldo’. When he’s in the Argentina squad.”
Yet, this narrative has been debunked by The Athletic, which revealed that Garnacho never made such a declaration. Ferdinand later clarified that he had spoken hypothetically, inventing Garnacho’s bold claim.
Manchester United youngster Alejandro Garnacho spoke in glowing terms about international captain Lionel Messi (Image: Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
Ferdinand playfully elaborated as if he were Garnacho:”‘I love Messi but Ronaldo’s my GOAT’. So he ain’t been in the squad since for Argentina. No, I’m joking!”
Complications arose when certain media outlets misquoted Ferdinand, claiming he stated: “Garnacho told me that Messi unfollowed him just because he makes no secret of preferring Ronaldo.” This, too, proved false, although several leading Argentine news platforms ran with the tale, stoking fears that these unfounded rumours might impact the young player.
Despite the gossip, it is acknowledged that Garnacho enjoys a good relationship with both Messi and Ronaldo, benefiting from his time in the changing rooms with the football titans during his career. It’s said that Messi has been nothing but accommodating towards Garnacho when they have joined forces for national team duties.
Garnacho even hailed Lionel Messi as “The King” and used a goat emoji in a social media post after the 36-year-old celebrated a goal with him in Argentina’s match against Ecuador in September.
