Alejandro Garnacho branded ‘selfish’ at Man United before Man City clash
Alejandro Garnacho has had his priorities on the pitch questioned following his performance for Man United in their defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The Argentine has endured a tough season at Old Trafford, and was even exiled from the first-team squad under Ruben Amorim at one point.
He has since worked his way back into the side and ended a long goal drought as the Red Devils won at Leicester in the final game before the international break.
However, Garnacho was unable to back that up as Man United were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest on Tuesday (1 April), and Deeney has taken aim at the winger over the reasons why.
Alejandro Garnacho assessment issued ahead of Manchester derby
Many Man United fans had slammed Garnacho for his performance at The City Ground, and it seems the former Watford man was not entirely impressed either.
Next up for the Red Devils is the clash with local rivals Man City at Old Trafford on Sunday (6 April), where they will be looking to complete a league double over their near neighbours.
Speaking on talkSPORT ahead of that game, reporter Alex Crook suggested that Garnacho has to start that match due to being one of the only outlets who can offer pace for his side.
| Alejandro Garnacho key Man United stats in 2024/25 | Total (as per Transfermarkt) |
| Appearances | 46 |
| Goals | 9 |
| Assists | 8 |
| Yellow Cards | 2 |
| Red Cards | 0 |
In response to that, Deeney appeared critical of the way the Man United winger plays, as he added: “I think it was that final delivery. I think he makes the wrong choices as well, Garnacho. I think he’s, this is going to sound harsh, I think he’s a selfish player.
“I think if he scores he’s happy, as opposed to picking the right pass for the team to go and win the game.”
Despite that he does see scope for change. After being asked if that is because Garnacho is trying to prove himself, the ex-striker said: “Yes, I think that’s because he’s young as well and as a young person you think a goal or an assist means you had a good game.
“As you get a little bit older you start going ‘if the team wins then we played well’.”
Man United need more from Alejandro Garnacho
Football Insider Verdict
There is no doubt that Garnacho has an incredible amount of talent and ability to do some spectacular things on a football pitch.
His Puskas Award-winning overhead kick against Everton is just one prime example of how good he can be on the field.
Ultimately though there is a sense that he does not deliver an end product on a consistent enough basis to realise his full potential.
Right now the stats certainly do back that up, which is a problem given the struggles for goals Man United are enduring with their other attacking options.
That arguably means there is a chance for the Argentine to make himself a key figure and nail down a place in the side if he can start to perform consistently well by making the right decisions.
If he fails to do that though, then it is likely that speculation around a potential Man United exit for Garnacho will only continue to grow.