Ex-Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves
Owen Hargreaves fears Manchester United will sell ‘brilliant’ Alejandro Garnacho before the transfer deadline amid interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea.
Garnacho has been heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford during the January transfer window.
The Argentine winger, once regarded as one of the most exciting and highly-rated players at the club, has suffered a drop-off over the past 12 months.
Garnacho was left out of last month’s Manchester derby and Ruben Amorim hinted he was unhappy with his output in training.
Unlike Marcus Rashford, who has continued to be overlooked since that incident, Garnacho has worked his way back into Amorim’s plans and featured in all seven of United’s games in January.
Garnacho came on at half-time during Manchester United’s Europa League victory over Steaua Bucuresti on Thursday night and helped the Red Devils clinch a 2-0 win after a goalless opening 45 minutes.
The TNT Sports commentary team were impressed by Garnacho’s impact and yet it remains a possibility that it was the winger’s last ever appearance for Manchester United.
Alejandro Garnacho could yet be on the move
United have not ruled out the possibility of selling Garnacho before the transfer window shuts on Monday night, with Chelsea still exploring a surprise deal.
Asked whether it was a concern that Manchester United could yet sell Garnacho, ex-Old Trafford midfielder Hargreaves said: ‘Big time.
‘They might need the money to get other players in to suit the manager’s formation. But you’d like to think you’d keep these brilliant, young players at the football club.’
Speaking after the game, Hargreaves added: ‘Garnacho made a huge difference, it was a great impact from the subs. He was brilliant when he came on.’
Manchester United beat FCSB in the Europa League
While Hargreaves hopes Garnacho stays put, fellow former United star Louis Saha is of the opinion that he should be sold if a decent deal arrives on the table.
‘The one thing that I would say is that a player like Garnacho and Mainoo as well, they become attractive options to sell because from a PSR perspective, academy products are counted as pure profit,’ Saha told spaceportsweden.com.
‘If you cash in on these guys, then maybe you can do something special in the transfer market.
‘This might be an unpopular opinion, but football is a business as well. These are two players that have been massively hyped up, but for me, from what I’ve seen of them, there’s no guarantee that they can go on and become the next [Ryan] Giggs or the next Paul Scholes – I haven’t seen everything from them that makes me think these two players are non-transferable.
‘I don’t see them as world class players yet, just prospects, and if the money is good, then maybe you take it while you can.’
Diogo Dalot tapped home from Kobbie Mainoo’s pass across goal to break the deadlock for Manchester United in Romania, before the England midfielder doubled the visitors’ lead.
The win means United finish the Europa League group phase in 3rd out of 36 teams, behind Lazio and Athletic Bilbao.
Manchester United have endured a largely dismal season – occupying a bottom-half spot in the Premier League – but are unbeaten in Europe ahead of the Europa League knockout stages.
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