Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Claims Man Utd star has ‘agreed terms’ on blockbuster move sees Amorim hit back with his own demands

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim and winger Alejandro Garnacho

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim and winger Alejandro Garnacho

Ruben Amorim has spoken out on the future of Alejandro Garnacho after expressly revealing what he demands of the Manchester United star amid claims he has agreed personal terms on a move to Napoli, and with Gary Neville revealing exactly why he believes the winger will be sold.

The Red Devils have endured a quiet January transfer window so far with not one one arrival or departure through the doors at Old Trafford. However, all that is expected to change in the final weeks of the window as Manchester United look to provide Amorim with the funds to bolster his squad.

However, while Marcus Rashford is edging closer to his move, he could yet be beaten out by Garnacho, with the Argentine the subject of strong interest from Napoli.

Antonio Conte’s side are seeking a replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is joining PSG on a five-year deal for an initial €70m (£59m, $72.1m).

Widespread reports claim Napoli have already set their sights on a deal for Garnacho as his replacement, and now Calciomercato reports that the 20-year-old has ‘agreed terms’ on the move ahead of an agreement between the clubs.

However, Amorim has strongly indicated that the eight-times capped Argentina winger is going nowhere, having issued his own demands to the player on what he expects from him to thrive at Old Trafford.

“That is clear [that Garnacho has a big future]. He has talent. He needs to learn to play in a different position. He needs to play better inside,” the United boss told the media ahead of Thursday’s clash against Southampton.

“He improves a lot in the recovering position when he doesn’t have the ball. But doing that, sometimes he’s not in the right place to make transitions like he was in the past.

“I prefer to defend and then build up with the entire team to reach the final third. He’s finding the best way to play in this system.

“He’s improving during training. He started the last game. Let’s see [on Thursday]. I think he changed the way he sees himself.”

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Gary Neville fears Garnacho sale but is transfer talk agent driven?

With United juggling Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) to make sure they do not fall on the wrong side, it’s widely documented that one or two big-name stars will likely be sacrificed to help with their rebuilding programme.

And having splashed out some £180m over the summer window, the likes of Rashford, Casemiro and Antony – three of the club’s highest earners – have all been linked with the United exit door.

Whether Garnacho is added to that list remains to be seen, though sources suggest he is not a player they would sacrifice easily, while any sale would likely see United demand a £70m (€83m, $83.1m) asking price – a fee beyond Napoli’s reach.

The Manchester Evening News are also of the view that Garnacho will remain at Old Trafford and believe much of the speculation on his future is actually being driven by agents, rather than, at this stage, having any real substance.

Despite that, Gary Neville does fear an exit could be on the cards and claimed on The Overlap US podcast: “It’s been in the news in the last 24 hours that bids are coming in for Garnacho. There have been news stories about Rashford going on loan or to another club, it genuinely wouldn’t surprise me if Ruben Amorim made these big types of calls.

“I don’t think he’s got anything to lose. We’ve seen it all over, 10 years, whereby these talented players who haven’t delivered on a consistent basis that will not get Manchester United to the top.

“If you think about what Sir Alex Ferguson did over many, many years. Sometimes some of the major fallouts were with the big players but that was for him to wrestle control.

“Norman Whiteside and Paul McGrath were let go in his early days and, beyond that, Jaap Stam leaving, David Beckham left and Roy Keane left and Ruud Van Nistelrooy left. Massive players that you thought “These are big players, they can’t leave”.

“He did it to wrestle control whether you liked it or didn’t like it, agreed with it or didn’t agree with it.”

Neville also believes this remains a huge window for United and he claims he would not be shocked to see some high-profile departures.

“This will be a big transfer window,” Neville added.

“It might not be as big as we think but if Garnacho and Rashford were to go, they would be big moves. It wouldn’t surprise me if there was a mini clear-out and he brought in one or two players.

“Maybe Ruben Amorim has to go basically for the most high-profile players and say, ‘I’m in charge here, I don’t care who you are, I’m the one who is going to be implementing the standards at the football club and if you don’t quite hit them, I don’t care how talented or valuable you are, what the fans think of you, what your pay packets are, you’re done’.”

Latest Man Utd news: Liverpool win £50m race; midfielder sale blocked

Napoli aren’t the only side being linked with Garnacho, though, this month and surprise reports on Wednesday suggested a Premier League rival were also plotting an ambitious move for the Argentine.

One position that Amorim is determined to strengthen at is at left wing-back with the club still relying, more often than not, on Diogo Dalot performing out of position.

One man strongly linked with a move in recent weeks has been Milos Kerkez, with the Hungarian playing a leading role in Bournemouth’s ascent up the Premier League table this season.

However, it’s claimed Liverpool have now beaten them to the £50m-rated player’s signature, with a deal slotted to go through this summer. It’s not all bad news, though, for United, who have not been put off by the snub and are now reportedly ready to move for a Plan B of their own.

Elsewhere, one exit that has been blocked this month is that of Toby Collyer after the midfielder’s impressive cameo against Arsenal on Sunday.

The 21-year-old had been lined up for a move to Leicester this month, but strong reports claim Amorim has now blocked that exit with the midfielder now set for a more prominent role in the side. That decision, though, does spell bad news for two other stars.

 

How Garnacho has compared with Kvaratskhelia this season

Garnacho v Kvaratskhelia this season: League apps 19 v 17, goals 3 v 5, assists 1 v 3, chances created 15 v 28, crosses completed 4 v 14, take-ons completed 11 v 19