Player does not fit Amorim’s tactical and technical demands and his sale would help fund a big summer rebuild
Alejandro Garnacho has been told that he can leave Manchester United as club prepare to make wholesale changes after a dismal campaign that has seen them finish 15th in the Premier League.
Garnacho was notably absent from the squad for United’s final league fixture against Aston Villa, although Amorim downplayed the omission, saying: “He is a Manchester United player that is not in the squad today, but he continues to be a Manchester United player.”
Asked whether Garnacho would travel on the club’s upcoming post-season tour, the manager confirmed: “Yes, everyone is going. We have to go to meet our fans and to give something to our fans from the other side of the world.”
However, the Argentine forward was also on the bench in Bilbao for what was effectively United’s most important game of the season, coming on only for the final 20 minutes.
He has now been told that he will be allowed to leave this summer, according to The Athletic. Clubs interested in Garnacho’s signature and who already tried to sign him in January include Napoli in the Serie A and Chelsea in the Premier League.
Tension has been simmering around Garnacho’s place in Amorim’s squad for months. Despite finishing as the club’s second-highest scorer with 11 goals this season, it is understood that he does not fit Amorim’s tactical demands. Amorim wants to play a structured 3-4-3 formation with two No 10s occupying the half-spaces, but Garnacho’s strengths in wing play don’t naturally align with that system.
While he has had his moments of magic, he is also a really poor finisher and there is the sense that given the circumstances they are in, the club will not have the patience to wait for him to mature in this aspect of his game. Garnacho is classed as a homegrown talent under the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules, so his sale would represent pure profit, allowing United to buy players who already have the abilities they are looking for at the present time.
