Pundit claims top Man Utd star wanted nothing to do with Ten Hag during Twente draw

Eagle-eyed Dutch legend Ruud Gullit claims Alejandro Garnacho wanted nothing to do with Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag during Wednesday evening’s Europa League draw with FC Twente.

United drew 1-1 with the Eredivisie outfit at Old Trafford in their opening game of the competition, with Christian Eriksen breaking the deadlock with a fine strike before turning villain when he lost possession in a dangerous area to gift Twente an equaliser through Sam Lammers.

Ten Hag rang the changes in search of a winner, with Garnacho the first to be introduced before Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo all entered the fray.

Ten Hag spoke at length with Garnacho on the touchline but according to Gullit, the Argentine simply wanted to be left alone as he was getting himself prepared to replace Amad Diallo.

“He wanted to have a meeting with Garnacho, but he didn’t feel like it at all,” Gullit said on Dutch outlet Ziggo Sport.

“Garnacho was preparing to come on and Ten Hag kept talking to him. “You can just see it when a player thinks: ‘Leave me alone, man!’.”

Gullit could understand Ten Hag’s desire to drill instructions into his players given their lacklustre display against the team from his homeland, who the United boss had three spells at as a player.

“As a coach, you also see things happening that just don’t go well,” the Netherlands legend added. “I also saw [Ruud] van Nistelrooy constantly in the picture. He wasn’t happy. Even Casemiro got involved. You could see that things just weren’t going well.”

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Gullit gives damning verdict on United display

Gullit, meanwhile, admitted that he was not shocked to see United struggle in the game as they prepare to face Tottenham in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Red Devils were found wanting in a number of areas and Gullit added: “Am I shocked by the football? No, because I see this every week. How many millions did Erik ten Hag invest in this team again?

“I think Twente played sensibly. You could see that they gained a bit more confidence after a cautious start to the match.

“At some point you have to give them a little test and they did that well.”

Goalscorer Eriksen also gave an honest assessment of the game to TNT Sports, stating: “It’s disappointing. We wanted more in the end but it wasn’t good enough.

“They looked like they wanted it more than us and that can’t be right. That was said in the dressing room.

“Personally you score and think you’re going to be the matchwinner and then it goes the other way. We didn’t lose but it feels like a loss.”

Man Utd in shock Winks link as Boca Juniors ace also eyed

In other United news, the Red Devils are reportedly interested in signing midfielder Harry Winks, who has rebuilt his career at Leicester City after leaving Tottenham in the summer of 2023.

Spanish publication Fijaches suggests that United are weighing up a move for the player in January as Ten Hag is keen to bring in another midfielder, with Winks fitting in with the Dutcman’s style of play.

Meanwhile, United and Liverpool have both joined Tottenham in the chase to land Argentina U23 ace Kevin Zenon, a report has claimed.

Zenon is a 23-year-old star who can operate anywhere down the left flank, from left-back all the way up to left winger. He broke through at Union Santa Fe before joining their Argentinian rivals Boca Juniors in January.

And now United are among a host of clubs to have sent scouts to watch Zenon in action recently.

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