Fabrizio Romano explains the reason behind Garnacho being left out of the Manchester United squad for their match against Southampton.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed the reason behind Alejandro Garnacho being dropped from Manchester United’s starting lineup for their Premier League match against Southampton.

Following the 3-0 loss to Liverpool before the international break, United made two changes to the lineup, with Christian Eriksen and Amad Diallo replacing Casemiro and Garnacho under Erik Ten Hag’s management.

Garnacho had sparked controversy earlier in the week after liking social media posts related to Cristiano Ronaldo’s comments about the club and manager, leading to speculation that he was being left out as punishment. However, Romano clarified that Garnacho was benched purely for tactical reasons, with “sources guaranteeing” it had nothing to do with the social media activity.

Amad, on the other hand, has impressed with his performances this season, including scoring against Brighton. Many fans were eager to see him return to the starting lineup for the Southampton match, especially after his promising appearance as a substitute in the game against Liverpool.

During a busy summer transfer window at Old Trafford, five new players were brought in for Erik ten Hag, with Joshua Zirkzee adding fresh competition to the attack alongside Rasmus Højlund.

However, the club had also considered signing Canadian international and prolific Lille forward Jonathan David before finalizing the deal for the Dutch striker.

David, in the final year of his contract with Lille and unlikely to renew, was eager to test himself at a higher level and had been a potential target for Manchester United. Nonetheless, INEOS secured a £34 million agreement with Bologna for Zirkzee, allowing Ten Hag to land his preferred signing.