Why Ten Hag can't afford war with Garnacho

WHEN Cristiano Ronaldo was banished for good from Manchester United in November 2022, it was heralded as a victory for Erik ten Hag's new approach.

- JACK FLINTHAM

Ronaldo went rogue with his tellall interview with Piers Morgan and while he made his own bed by criticising the Glazers, few believed Ten Hag would be backed over a club legend. Yet just a few months into his tenure, United stood firm and the Dutchman came out looking stronger than ever.

But while United's head coach was savouring a victory, an unseen battle was beginning to rear its head. Alejandro Garnacho was coming to the fore in his idol's absence which left Ten Hag with difficult questions to answer.

In his first pre-season tour, the manager picked Garnacho to join the first team but he failed to make any appearances after he was late to two team meetings. This scuppered any hope for the winger out in Asia much to fans' disappointment.

It is true what people say, first impressions count and while United insisted they had worked past any attitude worries, their actions in the media showed otherwise. In October and November of that year, Garnacho was beginning to make strides but soon-to-be captain Bruno Fernandes called him out after a good performance.

"He knows we expect a lot from him. He wasn't at his best at the beginning of the season," he explained.