Man Utd Denies Rumors of Garnacho Being Benched for Liking Ronaldo's Comments on Ten Hag

Manchester United have officially denied claims that manager Erik ten Hag benched Alejandro Garnacho for their match against Southampton due to the player liking a controversial social media post by Cristiano Ronaldo.

The post in question involved Ronaldo criticizing Ten Hag's assertion that Manchester United could not compete for the league title or the Champions League, suggesting the club needed a "rebuild."

According to sources, the decision to bench Garnacho was purely tactical. Fabrizio Romano reported that the Argentina international has only started one game this season, against Liverpool, and came off the bench in their opening two fixtures versus Fulham and Brighton. This tactical move was confirmed by the club, which stated that Garnacho's benching had nothing to do with his social media activity.

Erik ten Hag, who took over as Manchester United manager in April 2022, has been under increasing pressure following a series of disappointing results. Despite finishing eighth in the Premier League last season, Ten Hag managed to secure an FA Cup final triumph over local rivals Manchester City. However, the new season has started poorly, with United suffering two defeats in their first three games.

In a recent news conference, Ten Hag emphasized the importance of winning to retain the faith of the club's hierarchy. He acknowledged the support from CEO Omar Berrada and sporting director Dan Ashworth but admitted that "the support will only last if results pick up." He also defended his summer signing, Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt, who faced criticism after a mistake in a recent international match.

Ten Hag stated, "In football, you have to win, you have to deliver, that's clear. It's good that the new leadership acknowledges this and says this. We are working together to be more successful, we have higher targets than we've already achieved."