Alejandro Garnacho didn’t celebrate his wondergoal against Leicester City because ‘he thinks he has lost faith from some Manchester United fans’.
That is the explanation given by Bruno Fernandes following United’s 3-0 win over the Foxes on Sunday.
In Ruud van Nistelrooy’s final game as interim manager, Fernandes opened the scoring before a Victor Kristiansen own goal put the game comfortably in the Red Devils’ hands.
Late on, Garnacho came off the bench to seal the three points for good with a stunning, curling effort from outside the box that was set up by his captain.
However, after initially wheeling away, the winger stopped running and without celebrating, calmly walked back to his teammates who passionately embraced him.
There were more hugs for the 20-year-old at full-time, with Fernandes seen in deep conversation with the Argentine before he eventually celebrated a little.
Explaining why Garnacho was so muted, the United skipper told BBC Sport: ‘It was a good day at work, I have to say. We have a lot of players with big qualities, but people can get too excited after one game and too down after another.
‘Garnacho scored a banger but didn’t celebrate like he should because he thinks he has lost faith from some fans. I told him people will always moan but lots of people like you and enjoy what you do.
‘I told him to celebrate, it was something special. He is a special player, we have difference makers.
‘They are the ones who win us games. We want them to score every game but that isn’t going to happen.’
Garnacho’s feeling are perhaps understandable given that just a few days ago he was confronted by a fan outside Old Trafford ahead of United’s Europa League game with PAOK.
The supporter told the player ‘to pass better’ and ‘work on his first touch’ as he signed autographs for other fans
A video of the incident went viral on social media, with Garnacho brilliantly and coldly replying: ‘Why are you not playing, man?’ before walking off.
The winger has seven goals and four assists so far this season – more contributions than any other United player – but it’s been a difficult season for the club who sacked Erik ten Hag last month.
Even the win against Leicester has only moved United up to 13th in the table, leaving new head coach Ruben Amorim with his work cut out after the international break.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Manchester United news, exclusives and analysis
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.