Atletico Madrid could snatch up Alejandro Garnacho in January – report | OneFootball

Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho could unexpectedly depart the club as soon as January if a recent report is to be believed.

Early this morning, Fichajes claimed that the young Argentine is attracting the interest of La Liga giants Atletico Madrid ahead of the winter transfer window.

“Atletico Madrid are targeting Alejandro Garnacho in the winter transfer window,” the report read.

“Diego Pablo Simeone, a self-confessed admirer of the Argentine winger, believes that the young talent could be key to strengthening Atletico’s attack, especially given the possible departure of Antoine Griezmann next summer.”

While one may expect Man United to reject Atletico’s advances, the article suggests that this is not necessarily the case.

“The situation at Manchester United, where Rubén Amorim would be willing to facilitate the player’s departure, opens the door for a strategic move by the Spanish club.”

Garnacho has proven to be one of United’s breakout young stars in recent seasons, having cemented his place as a regular starter last season.

It was thus considered a shock when manager Ruben Amorim decided to exclude Garnacho from his matchday squad for the impressive 2-1 away win over Manchester City.

According to Amorim, the decision was based on the young Argentine’s performances on the training pitch, which is also why Marcus Rashford did not feature.

Several United legends have voiced their support for Amorim’s controversial call, with Roy Keane believing that the United boss is well within his right to axe players who are not performing at the required level, no matter who they are.

David Beckham also appeared to support this decision as he uploaded an Instagram post after the 2-1 win over City, writing: “Big win with players who wanna wear this jersey.” This seemed to imply that Amorim selected players based on their desire to perform for United, bringing Garnacho’s dedication into question.

Rio Ferdinand also chimed in, explaining that while Garnacho and Rashford are certainly talented, they might not be delivering what the manager is looking for.

While Garnacho’s exit could bring in a substantial income for the club given his reported €50 million market value, one cannot help but wonder whether it would be more prudent for United to retain him and ensure that he is given the conditioning he needs to become a crucial star for years to come.

Featured image Justin Setterfield via Getty Images

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