Alejandro Garnacho latest example of a Man Utd star rewarded too early and too handsomely

In the social media photograph that has wound up many a Manchester United fan, it is definitely a surprise to see Alejandro Garnacho wearing an Aston Villa jersey as leisure wear. Normally, it is strictly Louis Vuitton gear, the top-and-shorts number in another holiday snap retailing at a couple of grand.

And in the shot which features Garnacho in a replica Rashford shirt that seems to have offended many, the United player is flanked by two cars. According to a couple of petrol-head mates, one appears to be a Ferrari Portofino and the other a Lamborghini Urus.

Whatever the models, one thing is for sure, there’s a good half a million pounds worth of motor there. Professional footballers enjoying and showing the conspicuous rewards of considerable wealth is hardly exceptional. It is commonplace.

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And no-one should be overly bothered - or bothered at all - by displays of material trappings. In fact, there seems to be some degree of fascination in what rich men and women do with their money.

But, rightly or wrongly, the reason why the picture of Garnacho in a Villa-Rashford shirt with a pair of super-cars might jar is that it comes across as a portrait of a superstar who was anything other than a superstar last season. Garnacho was not United’s worst player, far from it.

And for what it is worth, Ruben Amorim’s decision not to start him in the Europa League final was not a good one. But Garnacho scored six goals and made two assists in 36 appearances in the Premier League last season.

He has eight goals in his last 51 Premier League appearances. There is, without any doubt, a very talented player in Garnacho, as was spectacularly demonstrated by THAT goal at Goodison Park.

But that was in November, 2023, in the early months of a new five-year deal and if Garnacho was a United player rewarded too handsomely too quickly, that would not be unusual. Garnacho wearing a Villa shirt and then publishing the photograph seems a bit silly, more an error of judgement rather than a heinous crime.

Don’t forget, this is a player who, apparently, has been told to find another club. As cool as he looks, prospective suitors might not be overly impressed with Garnacho’s social media picture gallery.

There will be no public admonishment of Garnacho from United as that would probably be counter-productive. If they really do want to sell, they will want top dollar for a young player who still has buckets of potential.

The last thing United will want to do is exacerbate any idea that Garnacho is a wrong ‘un. And when minor incidents such as this cause brief consternation amongst United fans, the club probably knows that it is partly responsible.

There was a time when the team culture was so strong at Old Trafford that personal grievances/disputes would very rarely get aired. Now they are emblazoned on the back of a rival team’s jersey.

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