Lyon star blames Ruben Amorim for Alejandro Garnacho's Man Utd struggles | OneFootball

Lyon full-back Nicolas Tagliafico put Alejandro Garnacho's miserable form for Manchester United down to the arrival of head coach Ruben Amorim and poor communication from his teammates.

As an international colleague of Garnacho, Tagliafico has been treated to a first-hand view of the Argentine's talent. United fans have not regularly witnessed the 20-year-old at his best in recent months, watching on in growing frustration as their mercurial forward went 24 consecutive appearances without scoring a single goal.

This drought coincided with Amorim's arrival and a switch in formation to his favoured 3-4-2-1. Without a spot for a natural, touchline-hugging winger, Garnacho has been shunted into one of the inside forward positions, forcing him into crowded patches of the pitch and limiting the opportunities to exploit his physical gifts.

Garnacho has scored just two goals in 20 games under Amorim - as many as he managed during Ruud van Nistelrooy's four-game interim stretch earlier this season. Amorim's permanent predecessor, Erik ten Hag, also oversaw a far more prolific iteration of Garnacho.

Alejandro Garnacho's drop-off under Ruben Amorim

Alejandro Garnacho had a better record under Erik ten Hag compared to Ruben Amorim / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages

Tagliafico bluntly connected the dots between Amorim's arrival and Garnacho's sharp decline. "I saw good qualities when he first stepped into the team but with a new coach and different styles, he has maybe lost a bit of confidence," the Lyon full-back told the Daily Mail before going up against Garnacho in the Europa League. "When you miss this as a winger and at club like United, it's not easy."

Amorim's players also came under the ire of Tagliafico. "I know he has had some difficult moments under the coach but maybe he needs more support on the pitch," the Argentine left-back noted.

"Sometimes it is more about communication. When a winger plays in front of me, I like to talk to him. Encourage him to take on one v one more or say when to tuck in. He is still very young. Maybe that's what he needs more at United. But he is very fast, he has talent. For sure he can be a star."

Tagliafico follows Nemanja Matic in adding some extra fire to Thursday's contest. Matic, a former United midfielder, labelled Andre Onana as "one of the worst goalkeepers in Man Utd history" after the stopper suggested the Red Devils were "way better" than their opponents.