Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho was excluded from the matchday squad that beat Manchester City last month because of an act of dissent directed at head coach Ruben Amorim.
United came from behind to beat City at the Etihad courtesy of very late goals from Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo.
However, most of the post-match coverage revolved around the axing of Garnacho and Marcus Rashford from the matchday squad.
After the final whistle, Amorim told reporters that the pair were left out for failing to meet his high standards across a number of areas including choice of dressing, manner of engagement with their teammates and of course, their form on the pitch.
Garnacho was restored to the squad for the subsequent game, a Carabao Cup quarter-final meeting at Tottenham Hotspur. Meanwhile, Rashford was dropped from the next four consecutive matchday squads. The England international was brought back for the most recent clash vs. Newcastle but was an unused substitute as United fell to a 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
Now, Chris Wheeler of The Daily Mail has revealed the exact reason why Garnacho was snubbed by Amorim for the Manchester derby.
According to Wheeler, “Alejandro Garnacho was axed from the Manchester United squad over a show of dissent towards head coach Ruben Amorim, it has emerged.”
“Mail Sport understands the Argentina winger appeared to turn his back on Amorim and walk away while the United boss was giving him instructions on the touchline before he came on against Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League three days before the derby.”
“Representatives for the 20-year-old player denied that he was being disrespectful and put it down to a misunderstanding.”
Wheeler adds, “United declined to comment but sources insist there is no rift between the two and Garnacho has not been frozen out. However, they acknowledged that Amorim has set exacting standards for the players since taking over.”
The report also notes that Garnacho’s reduced role and status since Amorim’s arrival has raised doubts over his long-term future at United.
In the past few games, the Argentina international has mostly had to be content with a place on the bench. Amorim has demonstrated a preference for deploying Bruno Fernandes in the left 10 position ahead of Garnacho.
Against Newcastle, even Joshua Zirkzee – who managed just 33 minutes of action before his humiliating withdrawal – was picked ahead of Garnacho.
Featured image Stephen Pond via Getty Images
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Derick Kinoti
Derick Kinoti is a football writer at The Peoples Person who has covered Manchester United and the game extensively for many years. He is a keen analyst with expertise in SEO and journalism standards. Derick is convinced Wayne Rooney is the true GOAT and won’t hear otherwise!
