Alejandro Garnacho sends brutal Man United reminder after Ruben Amorim's double snub

Alejandro Garnacho scored his first goal for Chelsea in their 3-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday, with the Argentina star sending Man Utd a reminder with his celebration

Former Manchester United player Alejandro Garnacho netted his first goal for Chelsea against Sunderland on Saturday and celebrated in a manner that reminded his old club of how quickly things can change in football. The Argentine star made a £40million move to Stamford Bridge last summer, and he's not the only ex-United player to have been shown the door under Ruben Amorim.

After scoring against the Black Cats, Garnacho sat on the advertising hoarding in celebration, with team-mate Pedro Neto joining him. This echoed a similar celebration during United's triumph over West Ham in February 2024, involving Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund, which some interpreted as a jibe at former Hammers player Mohammed Kudus.

Back then, photos of the trio were held up as evidence the future was bright for United, with Hojlund and Garnacho both on target in the 3-0 triumph. However, a loss at West Ham nearly nine months later led to the dismissal of manager Erik ten Hag, and his successor Amorim has overseen a tough time on the pitch while two of the three players from the iconic celebration have been allowed to move on and the other is struggling for minutes.

Garnacho has now permanently left the club, while Hojlund is expected to follow suit after showing positive early signs following a loan move to Napoli. Mainoo remains at United but has yet to start a league match this season.

This situation highlights the rapid pace of change in football. Not only have all three former United players found themselves in different cities, but also Ten Hag has lost two managerial positions, with his stint at Bayer Leverkusen lasting a mere 60 days.

Garnacho's departure from United was virtually confirmed by his response to being left out of the Europa League final. The winger openly questioned Amorim's team selection, despite being brought on as a substitute whilst the Reds tried and failed to find an equaliser.

"Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today - I don't know," he said. "I'm going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next."

Garnacho found himself relegated to United's 'bomb squad' during the summer months, sitting out pre-season fixtures as Amorim looked to move him on alongside several teammates. Following Chelsea's Champions League triumph over Benfica, however, the player maintained there's no animosity towards his former club.

"I think it was a difficult moment there, just training alone," Garnacho told TNT Sports. "But I have nothing bad to say about the club, my old club Manchester United. It was just a bad moment in life, but now I'm very happy to be here and to play in this competition and to get the three points today."

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