Argentine Alejandro Garnacho Rumored to Land at an Elite Destination
Alejandro Garnacho, the Argentine-Spanish 20-year-old phenom playing for Premier League club Manchester United, has suddenly found himself in the center of storms surrounding the team. United's financial problems may just cause a loan situation to several interested top clubs in Europe as a solution to this. It has not helped that Garnacho’s new coach, Ruben Amorim, does not appear to value his young star. Then you have media leaks coming out from unconfirmed sources citing lineups before they happen and frustration among teammates over bad decisions on the pitch and social media.
All these factors lead to one solution. Garnacho is wearing another jersey. If you asked Alejandro who would be his preference, many would say Real Madrid. This is where his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo, starred for many years. Garnacho's Spanish heritage adds a valid second reason for social comfortability. Manchester United has reported an operating loss of 370 million pounds over the previous five seasons, and a cash infusion would aid greatly to allow United to acquire more talent as they are already falling far behind Liverpool, Chelsea, and rival Manchester City in the Premier League table.
The fact that City is one of the interested parties in Garnacho makes it far from a logical place for United to send a potential gamebreaker. It may also be one unspoken reason that the United coach Amorim chose not to play the rising Argentine talent in the Manchester Derby. At the least, this reason is better than his cryptic comment that implied that he looks at subtle things during training when he makes lineup decisions as the reasoning behind sitting the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year. This may also be a reaction to leaks being linked to Garnacho and teammate Amad Diallo. That rumor was squashed by management, as well as the news that four teammates were angry during a game where Alejandro made a cross with teammates packing the passing lanes only to see it go into an ocean of opposite jerseys. It has been commented on that due to a weak left foot game, this has been a constant. It can be speculated that covering weaknesses or a perceived lack of maturity would hurt Garnacho’s price on the market. Then you have Garnacho’s quick retorts on social media that have garnered mixed reviews in the club and Argentina.
It would also be fair to say that the honeymoon in United is over, and it would be a perfect time to move to a greener pasture. Several Spanish clubs are interested in addition to Barcelona. Real Madrid, Athletico Madrid to join national teammate Julian Alvarez or Bayern Munich in Germany. It would appear if this deal is ultimately made that Spain is the destination. For Garnacho, who may be the heir apparent to Lionel Messi someday, the World Cup is two years away, and a prominent place on the squad will depend on playing for a top team with results. It will also depend on his maturity going forward. This was highlighted when he was rejected by Barcelona for his support of his favorite player, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was the enemy of Barcelona when he played for Real in a blood feud between him and Lionel Messi.
This will hopefully be neutralized as Alejandro has the interest of Argentine coach Lionel Scaloni, who wants him in meaningful games during the closing phase of World Cup qualifiers in 2025. Scaloni has this in mind, stating, “We are looking for depth with the entry of Garnacho,” Lionel explained, “It is good for him to play these kinds of matches.” This will give Argentina a chance to see if Garnacho will bring that much-needed new blood with a skill set to aid an Argentina side that has not changed much since the 2022 World Cup. Argentina will no longer have the services of the retired Angel Di Maria and possibly will be minus Lionel Messi as well.
