Nicky Butt claims Man Utd star ‘wants’ to join Real Madrid or Barcelona

Nicky Butt believes Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho is privately eyeing a move to Real Madrid or Barcelona in the future.

Garnacho has been one of the better and more influential players at Old Trafford during the club’s recent struggles, reaching double-digits last season and scoring seven goals in 18 games so far this term.

In April 2023, the 20-year-old signed a new contract extension that will last until the summer of 2028.

Whether Garnacho is still a Manchester United player in four year’s time remains to be seen, however, with ex-Old Trafford star Butt of the opinion that the Argentine could push to join Madrid or Barca.

Garnacho has previously been linked with moves to Juventus and Atletico Madrid and Butt can see him ‘wanting’ to leave if there was an opportunity to join La Liga giants Madrid or Barca.

‘The Premier League is the best league in the world but all the best players always leave and go to Spain, go to Real Madrid or Barcelona,’ Butt said on the Football’s Greatest podcast.

‘If you look at all the superstars, they never stay in the Premier League. They stay until they need to go to the next level.

‘A lot of the players see the next level as being Real Madrid or Barca but we don’t see anywhere bigger than Man United. Our mentality is if you leave Man United you’re going down.

‘You don’t get appreciated here like you do at Madrid. You can guarantee Kylian Mbappe will be in the running for the Ballon d’Or next year because he’s at Real Madrid.

‘It’s like Garnacho, he’s doing well here now, he’s a young Argentinian boy. If he keeps going, you can imagine him wanting to go to Real Madrid or Barcelona. Players become superstars there, not only on the football pitch.’

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, meanwhile, admits there is an allure of joining Barcelona or Real Madrid.

‘If you become a great player here, the only place you can go is Madrid or Barcelona,’ he added.

‘I would call it a sideways move. If you’re talking about going to Juventus or Bayern Munich, I would say no.

‘But there is something about going to Barcelona or Real Madrid. Some players become obsessed by that.’

While there is no suggestion Garnacho is currently looking to leave Manchester United, he did attract criticism for refusing to celebrate a goal in last weekend’s Premier League win over Leicester City.

United captain Bruno Fernandes explained his team-mate’s muted celebration by saying Garnacho feels he has ‘lost the faith’ of fans.

The Leicester win was Manchester United’s final game under interim manager and club legend Ruud van Nistelrooy, with new boss Ruben Amorim taking over at the start of the week.

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