talkSPORT’s Andy Goldstein was left disgusted by Man United’s temptation to sell Alejandro Garnacho.
Premier League rivals Chelsea are the ones leading the charge for the 20-year-old talent after Napoli’s interest in him faded.
It’s understood that Chelsea are ready to open talks over a move for the winger with the Argentine star valued at up to £70million, talkSPORT understands.
As exclusively revealed by talkSPORT this week Garnacho is reluctantly open to leaving Old Trafford over fears about where he fits into Ruben Amorim’s system.
Goldstein called Man United’s decision to sell Garnacho ‘more than embarrassing’ considering the club’s current financial woes.
“It’s very difficult for me to slag off my own club, but I think it undermines the fact of how shambolic it’s being run at the moment,” he said on talkSPORT Drive.
“Since Jim Ratcliffe has come in, we should be building if you get a young exciting player.
“We know what [Garnacho] is about, that overhead kick against Everton was just off the scale, it was ridiculous.
“We know he’s a talented boy, these are the players we should be looking at to come through and be the future of Man United.
“The fact we’re even discussing a player like that being sold to a rival like Chelsea is embarrassing.
“The fact Chelsea are willing to pay between £65 and 70 million should say to Man United why they are prepared. We should keep someone like that.
“The fact he’s going to have to go to balance the books is more than embarrassing.”.
4
Goldstein added that he ‘really doesn’t know how this club is being run’.
The club’s financial troubles come after ticket price hikes have led to protests from fans outside Old Trafford in recent months.
Whilst Man United continue to perform poorly in the league, Ruben Amorim‘s appointment as manager came after Erik Ten Hag was offered a contract extension just six months before he was sacked.
“It’s a joke, it’s absolutely embarrassing,” Goldstein said.
“The fact we would even contemplate selling one of our bright stars to a club that don’t even need a player in that position is unthinkable.”
Agreeing with his co-host, Darren Bent replied: “If Man United are prepared to sell him to Chelsea – who are a rival – for £70million, surely something clicks in your head that maybe they’ve got a player on their hands.”
4
4
Garnacho’s time at Man United has been largely mixed, and his consideration of leaving comes following concerns over where he fits into Amorim’s system.
He notably won the FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal of 2023 with a bicycle kick scored over Everton.
In addition, he has won the League Cup in 2022-23 and the FA Cup in 2023-24.
Of late, his time at United has been tarnished. He did not celebrate after scoring in a 3-0 win over Leicester City when Ruud van Nistelrooy took interim charge.
Captain Bruno Fernandes said it was because he felt unsupported by fans and he had ‘lost faith’ from supporters.
He was dropped alongside Marcus Rashford by Ruben Amorim for the Manchester derby which they won 2-1.
Garnacho has scored eight goals and contributed five assists for Man United this term, but with doubts over his future, it remains to be seen if he’ll have the opportunity to add more to his tally.
