Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho had the world at his feet. Now he is an outcast at the club where he made his name.
One year ago Alejandro Garnacho’s stock was higher than ever. Fresh off scoring in the FA Cup Final, he scored an even better goal at Wembley in the Community Shield against City.
Hopes were high that Garnacho could build on his 10 goals in 2023/24 and make the kind of stratospheric leap his idol Cristiano Ronaldo once did when he went from 12 goals in 05/06 to 23 in 06/07.
Garnacho did not benefit from the stability Ronaldo had under Sir Alex Ferguson. His world was rocked by Erik ten Hag’s sacking in October 2025.
From there everything spiralled out of control for Garnacho. He has been making one poor decision after another, and is putting his career at risk.
Ruben Amorim and Alejandro Garnacho high five during substitution amid Manchester United vs Lyon.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Alejandro Garnacho has no future at Manchester United
Alejandro Garnacho’s talent and achievements already have not been in doubt. He became Manchester United’s youngest non-English scorer in Europe since George Best in 2022, won the FA Youth Cup and FA Cup, the Puskas Award, and has already represented Argentina at senior level.
The Argentine press have even excitedly tagged him as a potential successor to Lionel Messi.
But as it stands, Garnacho is at risk of not even making the 2026 World Cup.
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Let’s cut back to present day. Garnacho is training away from the Manchester United first team after falling out with Ruben Amorim.
Garnacho was not a great fit for Amorim’s system, but the real problem has come from his attitude and demeanour.
From immature social media posts wearing an Aston Villa shirt, to speaking out to criticise the head coach after the Europa League Final, Manchester United have lost patience with Garnacho, and so have the fans.
Amorim told Garnacho he has no future at the club, and United fans see a player who has thrown it all away through his own actions.
Garnacho’s desired next move is leaving a sour taste with the way his exit is going down.
Alejandro Garnacho is targeting a risky move
Alejandro Garnacho is targeting a transfer to Chelsea and has shut down all interest from other clubs.
This is the opposite of what Manchester United wanted. Ineos would have hoped for a bidding war for one of the game’s top rising talents.
Instead we see Garnacho sinking his own market value, and if it crashes to a certain point, United do not have to sell.
Garnacho could end up ostracised and stuck playing under-21 football for the season, blowing up his own World Cup dream.
While Garnacho presents Ineos with an opportunity to gain ‘pure profit’ through PSR, this also means United cannot take a loss on him if he sits out the year. The winger is playing a dangerous game.
And for what? A move to Chelsea is one of the biggest risks Garnacho could possibly take right now.
It’s clear Garnacho’s desire is led by an immature desire to prove Ruben Amorim wrong. He has probably already drafted up an Instagram post for if he scores in the game against United, and planned his celebration. The 21-year-old’s priorities are all skewed.
At Chelsea he has no clear route to first team football and is likely to play back-up to wingers Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Estevao.
And if he is not first choice, this leaves him vulnerable to Chelsea’s next slew of signings in 2026, and 2027.
Most likely his career at Chelsea goes exactly the same way as Juan Sebastian Veron, who left United for the Blues at the start of the Roman Abramovich era, and played just one season at the club before being sent out on a succession of loan deals.
A move to Spain, Italy, or even reuniting with Erik ten Hag at Bayer Leverkusen would be better for Garnacho’s career at this formative stage. He has had a rapid rise, yet is still young enough to throw it all away.
If he put his head down and fought for his place at Manchester United, he could have developed into a superstar. Garnacho would not have been first choice this season but he would have been a great game-changer to bring off the bench.
He was not happy with this, and wants too much too soon. But the same situation awaits at Chelsea, even if it’s a different system that may suit him better.
Garnacho need only look at the adulation and impact Antony made at Real Betis to see that a more intermediate step at a club where he would play regularly would have been a smarter step, especially in a World Cup year.
It is too late for Garnacho to walk all of this back. It would require the scale of apology that he does not appear capable of. When he looks back at this moment in 10 years time, he will wish he handled it all differently.