Once a rising star, Alejandro Garnacho has found himself on the outside looking in at Manchester United.
It wasn’t long ago that Garnacho was seen as one of United’s brightest prospects. After scoring in the FA Cup Final, he followed it up with another memorable goal against City in the Community Shield at Wembley.
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There were real hopes he could follow in Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps. His idol went from 12 goals in 2005/06 to 23 the following year, and some thought Garnacho could make a similar jump after his 10 goals in 2023/24.
But Garnacho didn’t have the same stability around him that Ronaldo enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson. Things started to change quickly after Erik ten Hag was sacked in October 2025.
Since then, things haven’t gone his way. A series of questionable decisions have put him at risk of derailing what was once a very promising career.
Manchester United have moved on from Alejandro Garnacho
Alejandro Garnacho’s talent has never been in doubt. He broke through as Manchester United’s youngest non-English European goalscorer since George Best back in 2022, won both the FA Youth Cup and senior FA Cup, picked up a Puskas Award, and even earned caps for Argentina.
In fact, the Argentine media have gone so far as to label him a potential heir to Lionel Messi. But right now, he’s not even close to making the squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Currently, Garnacho is training away from the main group after a falling out with Ruben Amorim. The issues go beyond tactics—his attitude hasn’t helped his case either.
A series of questionable social media posts—like wearing an Aston Villa shirt—and public criticism of Amorim after the Europa League Final haven’t helped his standing. The club and fans alike have run out of patience.
Amorim has made it clear that Garnacho doesn’t have a future at Old Trafford. Supporters see a player who has wasted his potential through poor choices rather than bad luck.
And it’s not just about his performances or relationships inside the club—there are concerns about how he’s handling his exit too.
Alejandro Garnacho is isolating himself further
He’s told his agent to focus solely on Chelsea, ignoring other clubs that have shown interest.
This isn’t what Manchester United wanted. Ineos was hoping a bidding war would drive up the price for one of football’s most promising young players.
Instead, Garnacho is lowering his own value. If it drops far enough, United won’t be under any pressure to sell him.
That could leave him stuck playing under-21 football all season, which would also damage his chances of making Argentina’s World Cup squad.
Garnacho represents a chance for Ineos to record ‘pure profit’ under PSR rules. But if he refuses to move and stays out of the squad, they can’t afford to write off his value entirely. It’s a risky situation for both sides.
Chelsea already have Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Estevao ahead of him in the pecking order, so there’s no obvious path into the starting lineup.
If he doesn’t break through quickly, he could easily find himself squeezed out by new signings in future windows. The club has form for bringing in fresh faces every year.
It echoes what happened with Juan Sebastian Veron. He left United for Chelsea at the start of the Roman Abramovich era but lasted just one season before being shipped out on loan multiple times.
Even returning to work with Erik ten Hag at Bayer Leverkusen might serve him better than trying to force a move within England right now. He still has time on his side but needs stability more than anything else at this stage of his career.
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