Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho was once a key player in the team's youth training and Ten Hag's absolute mainstay. However, since Ruben Amorim took office, he has rarely been able to start. He was even excluded from the squad for last month's derby victory over Manchester City, with reports suggesting that the real reason was his disagreement with the head coach and ignoring his requirements.
After the Manchester derby, Amorim told the British media that Garnacho and Rashford were excluded because they did not meet his standards in many aspects, including their choice of attire, interaction with teammates, and of course, their performance on the pitch. Garnacho returned to the bench in subsequent games but did not start.
The Daily Mail explained that Garnacho lost his place after ignoring tactical instructions from the coach before the Europa League match against Manchester City. It was reported that during the Europa League match against Viktoria Plzen, Amorim issued instructions from the technical area, but Garnacho ignored him and walked away. Liverpool legend Graeme Souness mocked Manchester United, saying that the dressing room is now filled with disrespectful "vipers," and the players always fail to stay calm, needing to find some real men.
The 20-year-old Garnacho denied disrespecting the coach, with his agent claiming it was a misunderstanding. Manchester United officials declined to comment, with insiders stressing that there was no conflict between Amorim and Garnacho. Garnacho improved his attitude and was given another chance to play. He listened more attentively when the coach arranged tactics before his appearance.
However, Manchester United also confirmed that Amorim set strict standards for the players after taking over. Garnacho's performance was unsatisfactory, so his role and status were reduced, leading people to doubt his long-term future at the club. Garnacho harbored resentment towards the coach's approach, believing he should not have been absent from the derby due to his frequent goal-scoring record against City.
In recent matches, the Argentine international could only sit on the bench, even when Bruno Fernandes was suspended, Amorim chose Zirkzee instead. This decision proved unsuccessful, as the Dutch forward was substituted after 33 minutes, but the substitute was still not Garnacho, but Kobe Meno.
Manchester United will face Liverpool away this weekend in a game they are expected to lose. The Red Devils have not won in nine games at Anfield, with four draws and five losses, scoring only one goal and conceding 18, the longest winless streak since 1895.
However, Amorim had six days to prepare for the game, a rare longer break between matches, which boosted his confidence. "We have more time to train and can train with the team for two consecutive days. I think this can help the whole team. This is a difficult moment because we have lost too many games, and our next opponent is the best team of the past year. Through training, we feel a better sense of teamwork, do more overall preparation, and hope to perform better than the last game."
Regarding whether Manchester United can win, Amorim insisted: "In a football match, anything can happen. If you talk about the whole season, then more often the best performing team will win. Liverpool is better than us now, but we also have the ability to win any game. We must focus on the present performance, complete our tasks, and do simple things well. We need to improve simple aspects for such games; we have the responsibility to win."
When asked what Manchester United needs to focus on most, Amorim replied: "Everything! Small details, transitions between attack and defense, you can see in the first half of the last game that we lacked control of the game when in possession, everyone was so anxious and tense. Crossing is crucial, as are set pieces. It's hard to say just one thing; we must work hard on many aspects. Ball control, the way we control the rhythm of the game, understanding where to play, will be the main focus this week."