Stars of Manchester United made it clear that there’s lingering tension between them and ex-teammate Alejandro Garnacho after their narrow 1-0 victory against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
On Saturday evening, Garnacho found himself in the spotlight as he faced off against his former club, just days after confessing to past missteps before his £40 million transfer to the Blues last summer.
The Argentine had a well-publicized fallout with Manchester United’s former manager, Ruben Amorim, expressing his discontent over being used merely as a late substitute during United’s disappointing Europa League final loss to Tottenham last May.
Prior to his departure from United, Garnacho had posted a picture clad in an Aston Villa jersey bearing the name of Marcus Rashford—his former teammate who had also fallen out of favor with Amorim.
Though no United player has publicly criticized Garnacho’s past actions, their post-match demeanor towards him on Saturday sent a clear message.
Man United stars stuck the boot in on Alejandro Garnacho after their win over Chelsea
Former United star Garnacho admitted doing ‘bad’ things before moving to Chelsea
Fan-captured footage revealed Garnacho lingering on the Stamford Bridge pitch as United players headed to the tunnel, noticeably ignoring the 21-year-old in the process.
Later, veteran defender Luke Shaw posted an image of himself pushing Garnacho to the floor on Instagram, with the caption ‘important win’.
His post was flooded with comments from United fans – including Steven Bartlett who said ‘Ahahahahah’ – as well as his own team-mates.
United captain Bruno Fernandes shared a GIF which read: ‘That’s a violation’, while Alex Telles, who was a member of the United dressing room before leaving last summer, shared two fire emojis and a love heart.
Speaking candidly when asked by Premier League Productions if he regretted how his United exit panned out, Garnacho said: ‘Maybe yes, because I loved that club. They gave me the confidence from the start, from Spain, to bring me to the academy, then they bring me to the first team, so it was like four or five years, and amazing love from everyone, from the fans, the stadium, everything was really good.
‘It’s just sometimes you have to change for the good of your life or the next steps. I only have good memories of Man United.’
After a rocky start to life under Amorim, the Portuguese had praised Garnacho’s work to earn a spot back in his team, despite there being no natural fit in his back-three system.
The natural winger slotted into a No10 role, but things went south again and he fell down the pecking order once more.
That, he has said, was a key reason as to why he left – admitting that he made some questionable moves when he was out of the team.
Garnacho received criticism for wearing an Aston Villa shirt with Marcus Rashford’s name
‘I remember in the last six months I was just not playing like before at Manchester United,’ he said. ‘I started to be on the bench, it’s not a bad thing, I was only 20 years old, but in my mind it was like I had to play every game.
‘In my mind, maybe it is also on me, I started to do some bad things. But yes, it was just this moment in life and sometimes you have to make decisions and I am really proud to be here and still in the Premier League at a club like this.
‘Everyone knows the team we have and the things we can do. Sometimes, we have better moments or worse moments, I am proud to be here but with United, I have nothing wrong to say about the club, no one in the club or the team-mates. It’s just a moment in life that changes and life continues. I have no regrets.’
Garnacho struggled on Saturday night. In the first half he failed to register a shot, create a chance or complete a take-on. He lost the majority of his duels and lost possession on four occasions.
He failed to improve on his contributions in the second half, with Chelsea losing 1-0.
