Former goalkeeper under Sir Alex Ferguson, Ben Foster, has slammed Alejandro Garnacho for his behaviour after Manchester United’s loss in the Europa League final.
Losing the Europa League final against Tottenham Hotspur was horrible for Manchester United, as they conceded early and never looked like they would get back into the game, despite showing they can come back from losing positions in the Premier League.
Rúben Amorim’s side will miss out on Champions League football for the 2025/26 season, potentially meaning that Jason Wilcox and the recruitment team may have to look at other targets, rather than their first choice.
Matheus Cunha, who has already joined the club, and Bryan Mbeumo, who wants to play at Old Trafford next season, don’t appear to be affected by the loss of European football, but some players at the club will want to move on to play in a better competition.
Alejandro Garnacho was notably frustrated after the final, calling out Amorim in his post-match interview, after being dropped for Mason Mount, despite his form in earlier rounds.
Garnacho looks set for a move away from United, after the manager reportedly told him: “You better pray that you can find a club to sign you before the 2-0 win over Aston Villa on the last game of the season.
Foster slams Garnacho’s behaviour
Speaking to TalkSport, former goalkeeper Ben Foster, from the Sir Alex Ferguson era, slammed Garnacho for his actions after the Europa League final.
When asked about his thoughts on Garnacho’s strained relationship with Amorim, Foster said: “I think for Man United it’s probably best to ship them [players with a difficult relationship with Amorim] out.
“I think if I was a manager, I’d be a little bit similar to Amorim in the case of, I just want team players, I want a bunch of lads that are good, honest, hard-working team players and I don’t get that vibe from Garnacho, I don’t really get that vibe from a few of them Manchester United players.”
Foster later spoke on Brennan Johnson’s actions compared to the Argentine forward: “His [Johnson’s] interview was incredible, you can tell he’s a really nice lad, you can tell he does everything for the team.
“Then you look at Garnacho, fresh trim a couple of days ago, dyed blonde, ready for the final. The full-time whistle goes, he’s sat on the pitch, sulking by himself, not trying to pick up the other lads.”
Garnacho criticism is misdirected
While Garnacho’s interview after the final was completely unacceptable, his actions while still on the pitch were justified, as someone who has just lost his first major European final.
Due to his ever-presence under Erik ten Hag, some people appeared to have forgotten how young Garnacho really is and pile too much pressure on the young winger.
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The 20-year-old shouldn’t be expected to “pick up the other lads” after losing the Europa League final that he barely played in; instead, the experienced players should be taking responsibility and picking him up.
Unfortunately, due to his actions in the post-match interview, Garnacho may never play at Old Trafford again, but it shouldn’t be forgotten how poorly some treated such a talented young player.
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