The Europa League final as the start of the fall of Alejandro Garnacho
As United headed to the San Mames for the Europa League final, set to face Tottenham Hotspur, everything was resting on The Red Devils winning the trophy.
This was their last chance to secure European football for next season, with a win granting them access to the Champions League and with it £100 million in much-needed extra revenue.
However, Spurs emerged victorious, with a 1-0 victory, as The Red Devils headed back to Old Trafford trophyless and without European football.
That wasn’t before Alejandro Garnacho could have his say on the outcome though.
The winger was dropped from the starting line-up, with Amorim opting for Amad Diallo and Mason Mount instead, with Garnacho entering the game in the 72nd minute.
Admittedly, Garnacho joining the action completely changed United’s pace, bringing more urgency to an otherwise lacklustre side. However, Garnacho’s decision to publicly undermine his manager’s decision proved to be extremely costly.
Speaking after the game, Garnacho commented: “Our season was s***. We didn’t beat anyone in the league. We lacked a lot of things. When you don’t score goals, you always need more.”
He continued: “Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today – I don’t know. I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next.”
Not one to hold back, having previously branded his squad as “one of the worst teams in the history of Manchester United”, Amorim addressed the comments in training, in front of Garnacho’s teammates.
Speaking about his future at the club publicly in the session, Amorim commented “you better pray that you can find a club to sign you”.
Since then, the youngsters behaviour on the post-season tour of Asia has sparked controversy, with Garnacho showing a middle finger to fans and dramatically yawning when signing shirts.
Another incentive to sell the star is the club’s financial struggles, with more pressure than ever to generate funds and cut costs.
As such, selling Garnacho as a product of the club’s youth academy would constitute as pure profit under Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) going ever further to easy the club’s pressures and help with new signings.
Wanting to fully make the most of the situation, United have slapped a £70 million price tag on the winger, however their desperation to sell him might have done some damage to the power they hold in negotiations.
With Garnacho’s time at United seemingly at an end, notably down to the youngsters ego rather than his talent, we take a look at what the next steps of the impressive winger could look like.
