Manchester United have caused controversy by refusing to allow Alejandro Garnacho to join up with the Argentina squad.
Manchester United have risked a club-versus-country row after blocking Alejandro Garnacho from joining up with Argentina for international duty, according to reports. The Premier League giants have moved to prevent the teenager from linking up with the Under-20 squad for the U20 Sudamericano tournament in January.
Garnacho, along with four other players – Matias Soule, Franco Carboni, Valentin Carboni and Luka Romero – are yet to be released by their respective clubs, with head coach Javier Mascherano forced to wait before unveiling his final squad list.
According to TyS Sports, the winger has not joined up with the squad and it appears United denied him the chance to play in the tournament, where several stars have been noticed in the past.
The teenager was handed a shock call-up to the Argentina national team setup in March this year before he even made his debut at senior level as the Latin American nation attempted to lock down his international allegiance, with Spain the other nation keen on convincing Garnacho to snub Argentina.
Alejandro Garnacho: The Man Utd starlet has not been given permission to join Argentina’s squad (Image: Getty Images)
But it seems he has made his choice after pledging his commitment to the South American nation, despite missing out on their World Cup squad in Qatar. After joining up with the Under-20 squad, he hit four goals in four games in the Maurice Revello tournament he played in.
However, his importance at club level has changed after playing a more prominent role at club level and, with the tournament taking place from January 20, it would interfere with Garnacho’s plan to fight for a place in Ten Hag’s starting XI.
The 18-year-old has managed to break into the Red Devils team under Erik ten Hag and scored the winning goal in the 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage earlier this season after coming off the bench. He has scored twice in 10 appearances to underline his ability and huge potential, having bagged his first goal against Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
Alejandro Garnacho: The Man Utd winger plays for Argentina U20s (Image: Getty)
Ten Hag would be loathe to lose the talented youngster for the month-long tournament especially during such a busy period of the season after praising the forward earlier this season.
“It’s a massive win this, Alejandro Garnacho had a big impact on the win. He finalised, he is always in the spotlight for that and that is also justified,” Ten Hag said. “It was a great finish, it is what we expect from the subs coming in, that is what you have to do.
“I am really happy with his progress. We have an extra player in this squad and I am happy for the academy and they bring out a player, I am happy for the coaches, good work. So great.”
If Garnacho travelled for the entire tournament, he would miss three matches in total – including the trip to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
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SOURCE: express.co.uk, thepeoplesperson.com
