After Manchester United’s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth, Alejandro Garnacho showed his discontent with Erik ten Hag by liking two critical posts on social media.
Despite Bruno Fernandes securing a point with his double, United’s performance at the Vitality Stadium was lackluster, reflecting a trend in their season.
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At halftime, with United trailing 2-1, Ten Hag introduced Amad Diallo in a bid to change the game.
In a move that stirred controversy, Ten Hag substituted Garnacho for Diallo. Post-match, the Argentine winger seemed visibly frustrated.
Tweets from prominent United supporter Mark Goldbridge condemned Ten Hag’s decision and his remarks implying Garnacho’s lack of effort as a factor for the substitution.
With over 700,000 followers on X, Garnacho’s social media activity didn’t go unnoticed, as he liked both of Goldbridge’s tweets, fueling a virtual disagreement.
Ten Hag’s post-match comments, suggesting Garnacho’s insufficient work rate as a reason for the substitution, added fuel to the controversy.
‘On the second half there were two things,’ he said. ‘Stay in formation in possession and don’t get erratic.
‘Because we will create, and we gave a lot of space away. And the second thing is do your job in the defending part.
‘It’s the truth that we in this moment with all the problems we have, we play to our levels and we can play very good to our levels.
‘And you have to do it to the end of the game and the last four games we dropped off from a winning position but today we came from a losing position.’
Taking to social media through the second half, Goldbridge said: ‘Garnacho has been one of our best players this season.
‘Poor first half but taking him off at half-time and holding him up as the problem is a joke. Many have done much worse week in week out and are still out there.’
Then he posted again after Ten Hag’s comments, he added: ‘Ten Hag subtly blaming Garnacho in the post match press conference…not a good look throwing a 19-year-old under the bus who has actually delivered for you this season.
‘But then again he’s clearly scared of upsetting the bigger earners.’
Garnacho initially liked both of these posts but later removed the likes as fans began to take notice of his actions on his account.
Additionally, the Argentine winger shared a post on his Instagram story featuring a photo of himself appearing disheartened during the game. He accompanied it with the ‘face with open mouth’ or ‘wow’ emoji, further conveying his frustrations.
Despite United’s challenging season, Garnacho has emerged as one of the team’s bright spots, tallying nine goals and four assists in 42 appearances across all competitions.
Remarkably, only Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes have contributed to more goals than the youngster, underscoring his significance to United.
The draw against Bournemouth leaves United in seventh place, with Ten Hag’s side managing just one win in their last seven league matches.
Their upcoming fixtures include an FA Cup semi-final clash against Coventry next Sunday, followed by a midweek encounter against Sheffield United.
