Manchester United are at risk of upsetting their supporters if they let Alejandro Garnacho leave this month.

The 20-year-old, who has largely been on the outset since Ruben Amorim's appointment in November, is heavily linked with moves to Chelsea and Napoli, with the former in pole position given United's hefty £70million asking price. Despite his underwhelming recent form, Garnacho remains a fan favourite at Old Trafford, though that hasn't stopped him from being placed in the shop window.

The situation somewhat mirrors Ander Herrera's departure in 2019. The Spanish midfielder was adored by the United faithful, but found love and respect harder to come by with the higher-ups at the club, despite winning the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award in 2016/17.

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When his United contract expired, Herrera left for PSG, and suggested afterwards that he'd effectively been pushed out. "My intention was not to leave the club and I was happy there," the now 35-year-old said to The Telegraph in 2020.

"It was not a secret. I was negotiating for more than one year but I expected more from the board after my third season at the club when I was player of the year. They didn't come to me that summer, they didn't even call me. And that was very painful for me because I had a feeling that I was giving everything."

He added: "After the third season when I was player of the year, when I had the respect and the love from the fans, I didn't feel that love from the club."

Admittedly, Garnacho's situation is a little different. First of all, the Argentine's United contract has three years left to run. Secondly, the club's hand is being somewhat forced by their concerning financial situation.

On Friday, the Red Devils admitted they were at risk of falling foul of the Premier League's Financial Fair Play regulations after losing £305m over the past three years. As such, cash will need to be generated, and lots of it.

As an academy graduate, Garnacho can be sold for 'pure profit', which may explain United's willingness to let the youngster leave. But whatever their motivation, a sale likely won't go down too well with supporters.

Fan patience with the owners is arguably at an all-time low, and their relationship will be strained even further if they allow a popular player like Garnacho to depart, particularly to a rival team such as Chelsea. That said, there is talk of Christopher Nkunku moving the other way, either as part of a potential Garnacho deal or separately.

The Frenchman, who netted 58 goals in his final two seasons at RB Leipzig, has struggled to break into Enzo Maresca's first team. But the quality is there, as demonstrated by his eight goals in eight games in cup competitions this season.

But while Nkunku might prove a shrewd addition to the squad, United's top brass ought to tread carefully when dealing with fan-favourites like Garnacho. They might be eager to raise money, but whether risking further damage to their relationship with supporters in order to do so - particularly after indicating that ticket prices are set to soar - is a wise idea is certainly up for debate.