Yahoo Sports ‘They never stay’: Amorim at risk of losing fan-favourite who’ll be ‘wanting’ Madrid/Barca move, claims ex-Red
Nicky Butt believes Manchester United are now at risk of seeing one of their most promising talents plotting the next steps of his career away from Old Trafford.
Indeed, the star in question is Alejandro Garnacho – and it’s not the first time he’s been linked with a move away from the club.
The 20-year-old has enjoyed a scintillating breakthrough into United’s senior squad over the last two seasons; while he actually made his debut under interim boss Ralf Rangnick in April 2022 as a late substitute in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, it wasn’t until 2022/2023 – Erik ten Hag’s first in the dugout – that Garnacho really began making a name for himself.
Countless top-drawer showings off the bench saw him end the term with 34 appearances under his belt in all competitions, with only 11 coming from the off. His starts would go on to increase substantially the following season after he was awarded a whopping 41 inclusions in the starting XI in 2023/2024.
Now, it’s safe to say Garnacho is a mainstay in the team, although it remains to be seen how that could change when Ruben Amorim officially takes the reins of his first matches.
The Argentine livewire entered the international break as United’s top goalscorer of the campaign thus far, boasting a respectable seven goals and four assists in his 18 outings.
It’s such form that will undoubtedly leave Garnacho’s confidence skyrocketing and, in turn, potentially dreaming of pastures new.
Butt: Don’t expect Garnacho to stay with United long-term
Speaking on the Football’s Greatest podcast, Butt issued a stark warning to the United board regarding Garnacho’s future. He reckons that, like the plethora of other emerging young talents across Europe, the forward may be eyeing a transfer to the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona long-term.
Of course, the Madrid-born player has already spent a portion of his career in Spain, initially starting out at Getafe in 2015 before spending five years in Atletico Madrid’s academy. United forked out £420,000 to sign him in 2020, which has already turned out to be a remarkable investment, so hats off to the scouts.
“The Premier League is the best league in the world, but all the best players always leave and go to Spain, go to Real Madrid or Barcelona,” Butt began.
“If you look at all the superstars, they never stay in the Premier League. They stay until they need to go to the next level. A lot of the players see the next level as being Real Madrid or Barca, but we don’t see anywhere bigger than Man United. Our mentality is if you leave Man United, you’re going down.
“You don’t get appreciated here like you do at Madrid. You can guarantee Kylian Mbappe will be in the running for the Ballon d’Or next year because he’s at Real Madrid. It’s like Garnacho – he’s doing well here now. He’s a young Argentinian boy. If he keeps going, you can imagine him wanting to go to Real Madrid or Barcelona. Players become superstars there, not only on the football pitch.”
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