Ruben Amorim has sidestepped questions regarding the future of Manchester United stars Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes. After coming on as a substitute in the Europa League final against Tottenham, Garnacho voiced his discontent post-match, stating: “Up until the final I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” reflecting on his limited playing time and hinting it could impact his decision-making about his future at the club.
Earlier, Garnacho had posted an image on Instagram from last season’s FA Cup final, which many interpreted as a sign of his exclusion from the starting lineup; this was confirmed when he was named on the bench at Estadio de San Mames.
Meanwhile, Fernandes is a target for a Saudi Arabian club, with speculation that Al-Hilal might make an offer hard for United to refuse. United insiders told the MEN there no intentions to sell Fernandes, the player appeared visibly disheartened while receiving his runners-up medal following the loss to Tottenham. He also spoke candidly with reporters about his future after the match.
When pressed about the situation of Garnacho and Fernandes during his pre-Aston Villa press conference, Amorim simply stated, “I always speak to my players, but the focus now is on the last game.
“I don’t know what is going to happen. We have a plan and we prepared for both situations, with Champions League and without. We have an idea what type of squad we want, but now we have to focus on the last game and we will have time address all of those situations.”
When questioned about his view on players following the Europa League final, Amorim clarified: “No, what changes is one less competition, that game in the middle of the week.
“You can manage the squad in a different way, so that rotation of the players, the depth of the squad, that changes completely if you have three or four competitions.
“That changes a little bit the plan, but not the way I look at my players just by looking at the final.”
Chelsea and Napoli showed interest in securing Garnacho during the January transfer window.
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Garnacho has faced critique over his attitude, leading to an apology to United mates in February after he left the field abruptly at Old Trafford upon substitution against Ipswich Town.
Fernandes, approaching 31 come September, could be on Al-Hilal’s radar, especially after they missed out on signing Mohamed Salah, who renewed his contract with Liverpool.
