Alejandro Garnacho will be buying dinner for his Manchester United teammates as a form of “punishment” after he walked off the pitch at Old Trafford.
The Argentinian winger showed his frustration at being substituted before halftime during the midweek victory against Ipswich. He went straight down the tunnel and did not return to the bench for the second half of the game.
After the game, manager Ruben Amorim said he would speak with Garnacho about the incident. This isn’t the first time Garnacho has been in hot water with the manager, as he was previously dropped from the squad before Christmas.
However, the 20-year-old player went to see Amorim and agreed to treat his teammates to dinner as an apology and an informal club “punishment.”
Amorim explained, “It was funny because the next day, he came to my office.”
“I investigated a bit, and he went to the dressing room to change his clothes because he was wet.”
“He watched the rest of the game from a different place, not the bench. He was there at the end of the game and then went home.”
“There’s no major issue, but I told him at Manchester United, perception is very important, especially at a big club.”
“He is going to pay for a team dinner, and that’s the end of it.”
Garnacho was previously dropped, along with Marcus Rashford, for the Manchester derby in December due to concerns about their attitude.
The United manager has praised Garnacho’s response since that earlier incident, until this week’s walk-off. Amorim acknowledged that his players sometimes struggle with the intense scrutiny at Manchester United, particularly from social media.
He commented, “I think he understands, but they read everything, even the small things.”
“I know the players well, and I understand their frustration. He was playing well and had to be taken off at that point in the game.”
“It’s difficult to handle everything, but they must. I’m just trying to help them become better players, and I understand modern football.”
“It’s completely different for players now with social media. They focus on it so much.”
“You can’t go on social media without seeing news or photos. If you read something negative, you focus on that. Even if there are a hundred positive comments, one bad one can dominate your attention.”
“So, I think it’s really tough for them. You might call it being soft, but they are constantly exposed to criticism, which is very hard to deal with.”
“But they have to cope with it, and they need support. This is modern football, and they need to be ready for it.”
Garnacho sustained a minor injury in the Ipswich match and is uncertain for Sunday’s FA Cup match against Fulham, but he is not facing any club suspension.
Amorim has no other players returning from injury, meaning he has the same squad available as midweek, except for Patrick Dorgu, who is suspended.
