Alejandro Garnacho problem is exactly what Sir Alex Ferguson warned Man Utd about

Erik ten Hag has dealt with all kinds of issues this year – but Alejandro Garnacho’s social media antics could prove to be the Manchester United manager’s biggest headache yet.

The Argentinian winger, 19, has been a bright spot in a difficult campaign with United at risk of recording their worst-ever finish in the Premier League era. The Red Devils are seventh after a disappointing 2-2 draw at Bournemouth and would set an unwanted record if they were they to drop any lower in the table between now and next month.

Ten Hag hooked the ineffective Garnacho at half-time in Saturday evening’s match and the youngster responded by ‘liking’ negative social media posts about the Dutchman, although the posts were later ‘unliked’.

Sir Alex Ferguson, widely acknowledged as the club’s greatest-ever manager, wrote in his autobiography that a manager is “as good as dead” once they lose the respect of players, who eventually stop playing for them.

And while that isn’t the case here, Garnacho’s apparent attempt to undermine his boss doesn’t bode too well. “There is a phrase in football about players ‘not playing for the manager’, which I have seen happen a thousand times,” Ferguson wrote.

“Once that happens, the manager is as good as dead, because he has failed in his major undertaking – which is to motivate the players to follow him.”

Amad Diallo, who replaced Garnacho for the second half, also shared a cryptic social media post in the aftermath of Saturday evening’s match. But it was Garnacho whose antics caused the biggest stir following his withdrawal.

Some fans criticised Ten Hag, however, after he appeared to take aim at Garnacho in his post-match press conference when he referenced “problems” on the right side of the pitch.

Join the debate! What have you made of Garnacho this season? Let us know here.

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – APRIL 13: Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United looks dejected during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Manchester United at Vitality Stadium on April 14, 2024 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

“We lost some balls in areas we shouldn’t lose them,” Ten Hag said. “If you see the first goal, the set-up was good but in that area, you should never lose the ball but it’s still not a goal. On the right side defending we had some problems in the first half. At half-time, we repaired it.

“In the second half, Harry [Maguire] was better, we repaired it on the right side and we took more control of the game and if we would have been more calm and composed, we could have had a win.

“First half, they were better. They created chances but the good thing is we returned twice from losing positions. So this team, the spirit is good, the resilience is good, they showed some character. I think we had to repair over the right side. We didn’t play well, the spaces were there. In possession, we had to bring a sub there.

“Garnacho was during the week not training. Only yesterday. We thought to bring some energy and bring some more quality, quality in the sense of cooperation and togetherness on that right-hand side.”

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