Alejandro Garnacho showed his agreement with several online criticisms of manager Erik ten Hag by engaging with them on social media after he was replaced during the halftime of Manchester United’s 2-2 tie with Bournemouth.
Richard Keys has come to Alejandro Garnacho’s support following the Manchester United player’s endorsement of two online critiques of manager Erik ten Hag.
The 19-year-old Argentine was substituted at the interval of United’s disappointing 2-2 away draw at Bournemouth on Saturday. Although Garnacho was responsible for losing possession leading to Bournemouth’s first goal, he did assist Bruno Fernandes’ equalizer in the first half. Nevertheless, he was taken off for his teammate Amad.
Subsequent to the game, it was observed that Garnacho’s profile had shown support for two posts from United fan channel presenter Mark Goldbridge, including one that suggested Ten Hag had unfairly blamed Garnacho during his post-match press briefing. Former Sky Sports host Keys has since shared his thoughts, criticizing Ten Hag.
“He’s out of touch, isn’t he?” Keys remarked on beIN Sports. “As I’ve mentioned previously, he seems to be out of sync with reality. There’s been considerable backlash for substituting Garnacho at halftime. Some have proposed that he’s made the young player a scapegoat.
“I can relate to that sentiment. Garnacho has consistently bailed him out over the past couple of months. Young players are prone to errors, he mentioned… From Ten Hag’s standpoint, the harm has already been inflicted.”
In his post-game press conference, Ten Hag pointed out Garnacho’s mistake and acknowledged that United encountered difficulties on the side of the field where the young player was positioned. “We surrendered possession in zones where it’s critical not to,” the Dutch coach stated.
“Regarding the first goal, although the initial setup was correct, losing the ball in that region is inexcusable, yet it didn’t directly lead to a goal. We faced defensive issues on the right flank during the first half. We addressed these issues at halftime.
“In the latter half, Harry [Maguire] improved, we rectified the situation on the right, and gained greater control over the match. Had we maintained our composure, a victory was possible. In the first half, they outperformed us. They had opportunities, but it’s commendable that we managed to come back from deficits twice. This demonstrates the team’s strong spirit and resilience, as well as their determination.”
Ten Hag further explained: “We needed to make adjustments on the right side. Our performance was lacking, and the gaps were evident. We had to make a substitution to maintain possession. Garnacho hadn’t trained throughout the week, only the day before. We aimed to inject some vitality and enhance the quality of teamwork and unity on the right flank.”
