Alejandro Garnacho appeared to send both Manchester United and the club’s fans a clear message. Photo: Instagram
Alejandro Garnacho has risked angering Manchester United fans by posing in an Aston Villa shirt carrying Marcus Rashford’s name on the back.
After a season in which both players became outcasts under Ruben Amorim, Garnacho posted the image of himself in the jersey while on holiday.
The picture is included in holiday snaps he posted on Instagram of a trip to Ibiza, while he continues to weigh up his future as an Old Trafford exit beckons.
There is little doubt that the image posted on Garnacho’s official account is intended to be provocative. The No 9 claret and blue shirt that Rashford wore while on loan at Villa Park last season takes centre stage as Garnacho walks towards a Ferrari and a Lamborghini.
Villa have been listed among clubs potentially interested in the 20-year-old, who is said to be keen on the prospect of remaining in the Premier League.
Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli have also been linked with proposals for the forward.
Amorim did not name Garnacho in his 20-man squad for their final game of a miserable season after telling the Argentina international to find a new club.
Napoli bid for Garnacho in January after selling Georgia forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris St-Germain for £63 million but were rebuffed.
United are thought to want around £60 million for the Argentina forward, whom Chelsea also tried and failed to sign in January. The Argentina international previously angered United fans with his comments immediately after their crushing 1-0 defeat by Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.
“Obviously, it is hard for everyone. Our season was s—. We did not beat anyone in the league,” Garnacho told reporters at the San Mames Stadium.
“We lacked a lot of things. When you don’t score goals, you always need more. Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today…”