Ruben Amorim has told Alejandro Garnacho how he can save his Manchester United career
With a little under a fortnight to go until the January transfer window closes, it remains to be seen if Alejandro Garnacho will still be a Manchester United player beyond the February 3 deadline.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News last Friday, United rejected a bid worth around £40million from Napoli for the Argentine international.
Garnacho has emerged as a leading target for the Italian club in their quest to replace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who moved to Paris Saint-Germain last week, but sources in Italy have said United's valuation of Garnacho is too high. The CIES Football Observatory valued the winger at €97.4m (£82.27m) last week.
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The 20-year-old has struggled for regular game time at Old Trafford in recent weeks amid head coach Ruben Amorim's decision to switch United's formation to a winger-free 3-4-2-1 system. Width is provided by the wing-backs, meaning there is no place for natural wingers.
Amorim has not once experimented with Garnacho in either wing-back position, making it crystal clear that he does not consider him as a suitable option to accommodate one of the two wide roles. It makes it easy to understand why his future has been thrown into doubt.
After being omitted from the matchday squad for the Manchester derby victory over City last month, Garnacho made five substitute appearances before earning his first start since December 7 when United knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup at the Emirates Stadium. He started as the right-sided No.10 and provided the assist for Bruno Fernandes to open the scoring.
He retained his place for the 3-1 win over Southampton at Old Trafford four days. Reviewing his performance against the Gunners ahead of the clash with the Saints, Amorim was encouraged by the youngster's performance, but outlined exactly where he needs to improve in what is a new role.
"That is clear, he has talent," said Amorim. "He needs to learn to play a little bit in a different position. He needs to play better inside.
"He improved a lot in the recovering position, when he doesn't have the ball, but, doing that, sometimes he's not in the right place to make transitions, like he was in the past, because I prefer to defend and then build up with all the team to make the final third.
"So he's finding the best way to play in this system. He's improving, during training. So he started the last game [vs Arsenal], let's see tomorrow [vs Southampton]."
Garnacho will need time to adjust to a new role, and he will only improve in it the more chances he is given. But he is a natural wide player that thrives on taking on his man and making something happen.
United are not exactly blessed with lucrative options inside the final third at this moment in time, meaning allowing Garnacho to leave this month could leave them short. Nevertheless, if he fails to adhere to Amorim's instructions, cashing in on a player who is not a natural fit for the system, provided the price is right, could be a decision the club has to consider.
