A frosty Ruben Amorim didn't hold back when he told Alejandro Garnacho to quit Manchester United in front of his team-mates, according to reports. Garnacho, 21, completed his switch to Chelsea on Saturday in a £40million deal, bringing his banishment at Old Trafford to an end.
Amorim placed the winger amongst United's five-man outcasts, with four of them now having departed the club either on permanent deals or temporary moves. The choice to sideline Garnacho came after he made barbed remarks to the press regarding his limited playing time in the Europa League final.
However, the Red Devils manager had issues with Garnacho well before May's woeful 1-0 loss to Tottenham in Bilbao.
Following the Argentina international being axed alongside Marcus Rashford for the Manchester derby in December, it was a fracture that deepened throughout last season.
Their turbulent relationship reached its peak when Amorim informed Garnacho bluntly that he wasn't wanted.
During a speech to his squad at United's training facility the day before their final match of the campaign, The Athletic report that Amorim declared to Garnacho: "You better hope you have a good agent this summer."
By that point, though, the winger had already determined he wished to depart the Red Devils, preferring a switch to Chelsea.
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Given Amorim's position and Garnacho's omission from the United squad throughout pre-season, the Blues were in no rush to lodge an offer. Chelsea finally made a successful £25m bid for Alejandro Garnacho after weeks of negotiations, with Manchester United initially demanding a hefty £70m.
The Old Trafford bosses eventually agreed to a reduced price of £40m and a 10 per cent sell-on clause.
Garnacho's transfer is the fourth-largest sale in United's history, and he will face his former team on Saturday, September 20.
During his time at United, Garnacho made 144 first-team appearances, scoring 26 goals and providing 22 assists. He took to Instagram to share a heartfelt farewell message: "Dear Manchester,
"After an unforgettable five years, this special chapter in my life now comes to a close. We have created moments that will stay with me forever, and I'm very grateful for this.
"To the coaches, staff, and my teammates, thank you for believing in me. Every time I wore the badge, I gave everything I had."
"I leave proud of what we achieved together and excited for what's to come. Wishing the club nothing but success for the future, while I look forward to giving my all in the next chapter of my career."