Despite Manchester United's dramatic 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town in the Premier League, tensions are high in the Red Devils' as manager Ruben Amorim had to put out the fires after Alejandro Garnacho's unhappiness at being substituted.
The Argentine forward left the pitch in visible frustration after being substituted in an unexpected tactical shift during the match at Old Trafford late in the first half when left wing-back Patrick Dorgu received a red card.
In response to the sending off, Amorim chose to replace Garnacho with defender Noussair Mazraoui, a decision that ignited discontent amongst supporters and left the 20-year-old forward visibly upset.
Rather than taking his seat on the bench, Garnacho proceeded to walk straight down the touchline towards the dressing room, drawing disapproving roars from the home crowd.
In an Instagram story shared shortly after the match, Garnacho emerged in the rain, embodying a sense of dejection that has left fans speculating about his future with the club.
"It was cold and wet, maybe," Amorim remarked, attempting to play down Garnacho's emotional response.
"The thinking was we'd play more in the 5-3-1. I know that is a risk because you are taking maybe the only player who has one against one pace, but I felt the team was OK in controlling the game, almost at half-time.
"Then you make the substitution. We have to choose someone to go out, we have to think about set pieces also, so it was my choice."
The Portuguese manager was quick to dismiss any accusations of dissatisfaction towards Garnacho, choosing instead to focus on the collective challenges faced during the game.
However, when pressed about a potential connection between Garnacho’s actions and that of Marcus Rashford - who exited to Aston Villa on loan after falling out of favour with the Manchester United manager - he provided a cryptic response.
"You are making a connection with Rashford, right? I know, I know," he stated.
"What I'm saying is I'm going to talk obviously with Garnacho about that, so I will talk about that if you want in the next press conference."
While Amorim was forced to substitute Garnacho, he opted not to condemn Dorgu for his early blunder, which led to Ipswich’s opening goal by Jaden Philogene after a mix-up with goalkeeper Andre Onana.
Despite these struggles, United found a path to victory, with Sam Morsy’s own goal and an effort from Matthijs de Ligt turning the tide before Harry Maguire secured the win just after halftime.
"Everybody when they watch that ball were thinking 'here we go again'," Amorim said about the mix up.
"But then sometimes football is like that, and we managed to fight all the situations during the game. I think we truly deserve the three points today."
On Dorgu’s red card, the manager said: "Then the sending off, the important thing is that I really know Dorgu quite well. He doesn't want to harm anybody and that is important for me."
Additional reporting by AFP
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