The Manchester United manager has shed light on his reasoning behind leaving Alejandro Garnacho on the bench for the entirety of Saturday’s 1-0 win away at Burnley
Erik ten Hag has explained why Alejandro Garnacho was not brought on against Burnley
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has explained his reason for leaving Alejandro Garnacho out of the side for the 1-0 win away at Burnley on Saturday night.
The Red Devils made the trip to Turf Moor aiming to end their miserable run of three defeats from their last three games and did exactly that. It was by no means a vintage performance from United, who could have been two goals down within the first half had it not been for some wasteful finishing from their hosts.
On the stroke of half-time, Bruno Fernandes notched the only goal of the game. The Portugal international volleyed home in stunning fashion after an impressive lofted pass from Jonny Evans. It was a rare moment of quality in a game lacking such moments from either side.
In both halves, Burnely enjoyed the lion’s share of possession. It was only when the Clarets searched for an equaliser that United began to find any sort of space, but even then, they hardly forced James Trafford into a number of saves.
Some have suggested that the latter stages of the game would have been perfect for someone like Garnacho, who boasts the kind of pace that Burnley would have struggled to deal with. The travelling United faithful even started to chant the young Argentine’s name, and yet, he remained on the bench.
Instead, summer signing Sofyan Amrabat was introduced for his first outing in a United shirt. The Moroccan was brought on with the task of keeping things simple and preserving the lead, which he managed. During Ten Hag’s post-match media duties, he explained why Garnacho was an unused substitute.
“He (Garnacho) was in against Munich and I thought our team was playing very well,” Ten Hag claimed. “So I wouldn’t change that tonight because this game was a demand to keep that organisation. That’s why I wouldn’t change.
HAVE YOUR SAY! ** Should Garnacho have come on against Burnley? Commentbelow**
Alejandro Garnacho was an unused substitute away at Burnley
“I saw the players were still capable and the fitness levels were good and the energy was still there, it was only 1-0. I wouldn’t change that because I also know that Burnley in one moment and in this moment where everything is against us – we have seen again a disallowed goal.
“I don’t want to say if it is the right decision or wrong decision, but again there was a moment that was not on our side. I wanted to avoid that and keep this team on because they did well.”
Garnacho has played four league games for United so far this season, but is yet to complete an entire 90 minutes on any occasion. In actual fact, the 19-year-old has enjoyed just 11 minutes of league football over the last month.
Join our new WhatsApp community! Clickthis link to receive your daily dose of __Mirror Football c_ _ ontent. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
