Alejandro Garnacho is an Argentine footballer. He has recently hit the headlines for very awkward reasons. He plays for English club, Chelsea. He played for Manchester United but forced his way out of the club during the transfer window.
This past weekend saw Chelsea face Man Utd at Old Trafford. It was a quick turnaround for Garnacho for a return. He was expecting a hero's welcome. That couldn't be further than the truth.
The 21-year-old was unable to make his mark against his old club on Saturday as the Blues fell to a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford. Garnacho remained on the bench throughout the loss and he received a hostile welcome.
Garnacho failed to even get off the bench, unable to try and influence the match-up and not called upon despite Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, making five substitutions.
His actions on social media over the past year contributed to United fans falling out of love with him, and supporters let him know when he returned to Old Trafford. Fans repurposed an old āanti-Carlos Tevezā chant to hurl insults towards fellow Argentine Garnacho, making their displeasure clear.
Garnachoās unhappy return to Old Trafford made major news in the national press in Argentina, with multiple outlets reporting on his brutal welcome.
El Grafico wrote: "The reception he received from those who had once celebrated his runs and dribbles was absolutely hostile. Some very hurtful chants were heard." La Nueva noted how Garnacho, "tried to go unnoticed with a jacket and hoodie, but he couldnāt avoid the rebuke."
MDZ online reported how Garnachoās simply being there fuelled the raucous home atmosphere: āHis mere presence in the stadium already mobilised the home fans.
"The same people who months ago considered him one of their favorite players on the squad and chanted his name when he scored goals have now definitively let go and greeted him with hostility and a harsh chant against him."
Diario Uno hit out at the abuse hurled at Garnacho, writing: "He became the center of attention as he was consistently harassed, receiving extremely serious insults."
As Garnacho warmed up ahead of kick off, United fans could be heard singing: 'Who's that t*** from Argentina? Who's that money-grabbing w**re? Garnacho is his name and he hasnāt got a brain and he wonāt be winning trophies anymore!'
The song continued throughout the first half of the game. It was the same chant that United fans targeted at Carlos Tevez with when he swapped United for Manchester City in 2009 in a Ā£47m deal. Meanwhile, at the end of the match, Garnacho was seen on the pitch with his former team-mates.
This included Amad Diallo, and the pair were deep in conversation before he later briefly greeted Bruno Fernandes. Garnacho then walked across the pitch solemnly with his hood up and gloves on as he battled to hide himself from the Manchester rain.
In another twist, Garnacho later posed with Diallo on the Ivorian's Instagram story where they had swapped shirts and were smiling. However, Diallo bizarrely later deleted the post, alongside all of his other posts on the platform.
Garnacho scored 26 goals in 144 games for United after joining from Atletico Madrid as a 16-year-old but his disciplinary record was often questioned during his time at the club.
As per a report in the Sun, a number of senior Manchester United stars took it upon themselves to try and urge Garnacho, 'to start thinking of the team instead of just himself.' Those players were Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Harry Maguire.
However, according to the report, the Argentine showed little interest in listening and so Amorim felt it was best to get rid of the youngster who was bringing a negative vibe to the dressing room. The article notes that Garnacho's regular outbursts on social media, as well as in mainstream media, angered his now former manager.
Amorim is said to have been keen to work with the player when he first arrived in England last November but he'd already started to lose patience with the player by December when he looked to bring Garnacho on as a Europa League vs Viktoria Plzen. As he imparted some last-second advice, he perceived that the winger had turned away and was not listening. Amorim dropped him from the squad for the next game, which was the derby at Manchester City; thus sparking the beginning of the end for their relationship.
Ahead of his move to Chelsea, the 21-year-old also upset a number of Man Utd fans as he shared a picture of himself wearing an Aston Villa shirt with Marcus Rashford printed on the back of it.
He also infuriated Amorim after the Europa League final when the 21-year-old claimed he was unhappy to be left on the bench for more than 70 minutes - and later said he would weigh up his options.
Garnachoās brother, Roberto, also accused Amorim of 'throwing him under the bus'. "Obviously itās hard for everyone," said Garnacho after the game. "Our season was s***. We didnāt beat anyone in the league. We lacked a lot of things. When you donāt score goals, you always need more."
"Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today ā I donāt know. Iām going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next."
Amorim then subsequently gave Garnacho a brutal dressing down in front of United's squad, with the Portuguese coach allegedly telling the forward: "You better pray that you can find a club to sign you."
Alejandro Garnacho looked to be a very promising player with a big future at Manchester United, having come through the club's academy and even earning praise from Ralf Rangnick, who tipped the Argentine for big things back in 2022 when he was still just 17.
However, if Garnacho does go on to have an impressive career, it now looks as though he will do that away from Old Trafford, having joined Chelsea this summer for around Ā£40m. The writing was on the wall for some time, with the 21-year-old having long since fallen out with head coach Ruben Amorim.
The Man Utd boss famously told the player: "You better pray that you can find a club to sign you," in front of the whole squad last season. Evidently, Amorim had lost all patience with the winger but he wasn't the only man within the club who tried to instil a sense of discipline within the player.
Garnacho misjudged the atmosphere as he composed his goodbye message to United. He penned: "After an unforgettable five years, this special chapter in my life now comes to a close. We have created moments that will stay with me forever, and I'm very grateful for this. To the coaches, staff, and my team-mates, thank you for believing in me."
"Every time I wore the badge, I gave everything I had. I leave proud of what we achieved together and excited for what's to come. Wishing the club nothing but success for the future, while I look forward to giving my all in the next chapter of my career."
The goodwill was not returned by fans, with some harshly accusing him of using AI to pen the message. One fan bluntly stated: "Betrayal." Another added: "Will miss the player. Not the attitude." A third suggested: "AI wrote this." A fourth advised: "All the best, young man. Stop being arrogant, play football [and] you will hit your potential."
Ahead of his return to Old Trafford, sources close to Amorim say he has not regretted his stance on the player once. Now at Chelsea, Garnacho showed glimpses of his quality on debut vs Brentford, but was also criticised for his lack of defensive discipline as he lost his man, allowing Fabio Carvalho to steal in at the far post and score a late equaliser.
Alejandro Garnacho's return to Manchester United was summed up this weekend after fan footage caught an awkward confrontation between the Argentine and Leny Yoro on the touchline.
As soon as he exited the team bus he was booed by home supporters and jeered when he entered the field for the pre-match warm-up.
Due to an early red card for Chelsea, Garnacho remained an unused substitute for the match but that didn't stop him receiving heat from the home faithful who showed their disdain towards him with chants throughout the 90 minutes. The hostilities towards the Argentine appeared not to stop in the terraces though.
Footage captured from the Stretford End and circulated on X appears to show a tense confrontation between Garnacho and his former teammate Yoro. As the Chelsea man jogged down the touchline he was met by the centre-back.
At first, it appears that Garnacho attempts to greet Yoro but when that isn't reciprocated he barged into the defender before making his way over to Kobbie Mainoo who did acknowledge him. Joshua Zirkzee also shuck Garnacho's hand but the awkward reunion with Yoro clearly showed unrest between the United camp and the winger.
Of course, it was United who would have the final laugh as they celebrated a 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
I saw a report that I found amusing. As written above, he was expecting a hero's welcome. He was so confident that he was bragging about it to his fellow Chelsea team-mates about it. He was therefore taken aback by the reception. After the match, he called his brother to console him.
I don't know what he was under to have that particular belief. As per the title, he would've had to wait until there was a cold day reported in hell for that type of reception to take place. I find that intial belief laughable. If I were there, I would've joined the crowd and jeering him.
He brought all this onto himself. He should've left in a more professional manner. Trying to move by any means necessary is just plain childish. His intial belief was delusional. Yes, he's young but I believe he should've known better. He is an adult and not a teenager; when he initially started to play on the professional level.