Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has expressed his disappointment with Alejandro Garnacho and his attitude during the 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad. The TNT pundit went as far as accusing him of 'sulking' during the Europa League encounter.
The Red Devils travelled to Spain in the first leg of their Round of 16 European tie and opened the scoring in the 57th minute. Forward Joshua Zirkzee kept his cool to find the back of the net after a cut back from Garnacho.
However, they would have to settle for just a draw on the night, as Bruno Fernandes gave away a penalty allowing Mikel Oyarzabal to level from the spot with 20 minutes to play. With the game level, Ruben Amorim decided to hook Garnacho and Scholes questioned the player's behaviour.
Scholes Unhappy With Garnacho
"He had a lack of energy and a little bit of silkiness"
With 78 minutes on the clock, Christian Eriksen was brought on for the Argentine. Fans were unhappy with his attitude in that moment and Scholes has since called out the Argentine, claiming he was 'sulking' on the night. He told TNT Sports (Via Daily Mail):
"He looked like he was sulking a little bit to me. I am not having fatigue. I think they are alright. I don't think there are great legs in this Man United team.
"Garnacho's biggest strength is running through. Sometimes he makes the wrong decisions but he had a lack of energy and a little bit of sulkiness. He will need to get better as they don’t really have anything else to call on."
Scholes added: "Coming to these places, European away games are difficult. It wasn’t the most hostile of atmospheres. United played well without looking like they would go onto win the game convincingly. There is a slight lack of where the goals will come from."
The feeling in the punditry wasn't universal, however, with Karen Carney taking a kinder approach, suggesting that the player was simply just tired and perhaps even feeling a bit of fatigue. She noted: "It didn’t look like Garnacho had the burst and he had something taped round his knee,
"He didn’t look himself. Maybe he had a poor game. Maybe he hadn’t won the game like they thought. I do think fatigue was a factor. They bring on subs and he has no one to bring on."
Real Sociedad players celebrate after scoring against Manchester United in the Europa League Related
Real Sociedad 1-1 Manchester United: Player Ratings & Match Highlights
Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw away to Real Sociedad in the first leg of their round of 16 tie in the Europa League.
Scholes Was Praising Garnacho Ahead of Kick-off
But it's not the first team the player's attitude has been questioned recently
Interestingly enough, Scholes was full of praise before the game. Indeed, he insisted that Garnacho had to start for Man United as he's the one player who has the running power to cause trouble in attack:
"I think Garnacho has to play. I think there has been a little bit of criticism lately, but he's the one player who can give penetration that he will run through.
"He doesn't always make the best decisions, he doesn't always take the right finishes. He's a player that is so quick and players that separate themselves from the better players, when you're so quick, you get into certain positions, you slow yourself down almost and you see things, things come to you quite easily.
"He hasn't quite got that in his game yet. He's still a young player, but he has to play simply because of the penetration. He's the one player that can run through and score you a goal."
Garnacho made headlines recently when he disappeared down the tunnel after being substituted vs Ipswich in the Premier League. However, Fabrizio Romano has exclusively told GIVEMESPORT that the situation has since been settled between player and coach.
That said, it feels plausible – especially following Marcus Rashford's loan to Aston Villa – that if the Argentine continues to catch the eye with his negative behaviour, Amorim could soon lose patience.