Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim plans to speak with Alejandro Garnacho after the winger walked straight to the dressing room following his substitution in United’s 3-2 win over Ipswich on Wednesday.
Amorim took Garnacho off late in the first half to bring on defender Noussair Mazraoui after Patrick Dorgu was sent off. Instead of joining his teammates on the bench, the 20-year-old Argentine went directly down the tunnel.
United fans booed the decision, and Garnacho later posted an Instagram story showing himself walking in the rain looking disappointed.
When asked about the player’s reaction, Amorim downplayed it, saying, “It was cold and wet, maybe.”
The coach explained his decision, saying, “We had to adjust to a 5-3-1 formation. I know taking off one of our fastest players was a risk, but I felt the team was in control. I also had to consider set pieces when making the decision.”
Asked if he was unhappy with Garnacho, Amorim compared the situation to Marcus Rashford, who recently moved to Aston Villa on loan after falling out with the manager.
“You’re linking this to Rashford, right? I know,” Amorim responded. “I’ll speak to Garnacho about it and can discuss it further in the next press conference.”
Despite Dorgu’s early mistake that led to Ipswich’s first goal and his red card for a foul on Omari Hutchinson, Amorim refused to blame him.
“I know Dorgu well. He didn’t mean to harm anyone, and that’s important for me,” the manager said.
United fought back after going behind, with an own goal from Sam Morsy and a strike from Matthijs de Ligt putting them ahead. Ipswich equalized just before halftime through Jaden Philogene’s cross, but Harry Maguire’s header early in the second half secured Amorim’s fifth league win with United.
“After their first goal, everyone must have thought, ‘Here we go again,’” Amorim admitted. “But football is unpredictable, and we fought hard to earn the three points.”
