Ruben Amorim is set to oversee a brutal, but long overdue rebuild of Manchester United and the biggest casualty is set to be a player who would be untouchable under the previous regime.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is ready to repeat Ruben Amorim’s Sporting trick at Man Utd, with a huge number of players set to leave Old Trafford this summer.
Amorim memorably oversaw the departure of 25 players in his first summer at Sporting, shaping the team in his image by promoting youngsters and resetting the culture.
Something similar should happen at Man Utd and while there are players who shouldn’t be sold, and won’t be, there is one player who has lost that status.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Alejandro Garnacho’s brutal culling and its side effect
The reverberations from Man Utd’s Europa League final defeat were felt almost immediately when Alejandro Garnacho called out Ruben Amorim for his reduced role in the final.
Soon after, the developments started coming thick and fast, from Amorim telling Garnacho to leave, to the most recent, and shocking one.
As it turns out, Amorim didn’t just tell him to leave, Garnacho was sent a brutal message implying that he’ll have a hard time finding another club.
No manager is doing that without unequivocal backing from the club, especially to a player who is arguably the most marketable player in the squad.
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Garnacho’s lifestyle and playing style mean that his brand value and profile off the pitch are almost as important to United as his contributions on it.
At the end of the last season, his shirt was the second-most sold on the website, after only Marcus Rashford who had a great first season under Ten Hag, as per Man Utd.
In contrast, Garnacho had only just broken into the senior team. However, his comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo, his flashy playing style, and his connection with the younger fan made him a huge brand asset.
Therefore, to publicly diminish the market value of your most marketable player on and off the field is seeing Man Utd break new ground in how they treat unprofessionalism.
Garnacho would be untouchable under the Glazers
If there was ever a moment to hammer home how differently Ineos are running the club in comparison to the Glazers, it’s this Garnacho saga.
Man Utd fans would remember Jose Mourinho trying to sell Anthony Martial, only for Joel Glazer to block it because of his personal fandom and player profile off the pitch.
Like Garnacho, Martial was a fan favourite for his playing style, even though he didn’t always meet the professionalism standards.
Unlike the Glazers, however, Ineos are valuing a player’s professionalism first and foremost, even if it comes at the cost of losing their most marketable player.
Garnacho’s sale would almost certainly not be sanctioned under the Glazers, thereby throwing yet another manager under the bus and increasing player power.
It’s a long-overdue change. Players will now be treated as per their standard of professionalism. Marketing and brand value are secondary.