Alejandro Garnacho's challenging return to Old Trafford with Chelsea culminated in his former Manchester United teammates openly mocking his poor performance following Man Utd's victory in premier league round 33. The most notable instance came from defender Luke Shaw, who posted a suggestive photo online that quickly gained traction among his teammates and fans.
Garnacho did not start the match, entering the field only after midfielder Estevao's injury. However, the Argentine forward's appearance quickly became a focal point for all the wrong reasons. In the sequence leading to Chelsea's only goal, Garnacho tracked back to assist in defense, but Bruno Fernandes easily bypassed him before assisting Matheus Cunha's goal.
His struggles drew attention. Commenting on the broadcast, former player Ally McCoist remarked, "A quality play by Bruno. But honestly, getting past Garnacho was too easy". Journalist Laurie Whitwell even sarcastically posted on social media, "Garnacho provided an 'assist' for Man Utd, allowing Fernandes to cross freely".
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Luke Shaw's suggestive post. Photo: screenshot
Statistics further highlighted Garnacho's poor performance. In the first half, he had no shots, created no chances, completed no successful dribbles, lost most of his duels, and lost possession four times. A Reddit account named Finehair_Drapper wrote, "One of the worst signings in Chelsea's history". Meanwhile, AWDanzeyB commented, "He might be getting a bit too much criticism, but this match was truly one of the worst performances I've ever seen".
On the field, Man Utd players consistently outmatched Garnacho. He repeatedly failed in duels against Diogo Dalot, Noussair Mazraoui, or Casemiro, even falling over when pressed. One fan commented, "He was bullied the entire match, to the point where he barely dared to dribble afterwards".
The post-match reaction from Man Utd players intensified the mockery. Defender Luke Shaw shared a photo of a challenge where he clearly dominated Garnacho, accompanied by the concise caption: "Important win". This post quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of interactions, with many of Garnacho's former teammates participating. Bruno Fernandes sarcastically commented, "This post is really too much". Joshua Zirkzee posted a Ryan Gosling smirking emoji, while young players like Shea Lacey and Tyler Fletcher also left similar reactions. Account cr2152 commented, "Shaw knows exactly what he's doing with this photo". Account chaosunleashed wrote, "I think this photo is a personal matter between Shaw and Garnacho".
Key match events.
Garnacho, born in 2004, debuted for Man Utd at 17 and initially held star potential. He scored 26 goals in 144 matches for the "Red Devils" but faced numerous discipline issues. Playing on the same left wing as Shaw, Garnacho rarely overlapped with the veteran, often cutting inside to shoot. In the summer of 2025, coach Ruben Amorim dismissed him from Man Utd for publicly criticizing him after the Europa League final. 'The club did everything for him, so behaving like that certainly annoyed many people', commented BlueSpiritJ.
The cold reception continued off the pitch. After the match on the evening of 18/4, no Man Utd player greeted Garnacho. When he warmed up to prepare to enter the field, thousands of visiting fans sang chants mocking that he would not win any more titles.
Man Utd players ignore Garnacho.
Garnacho has struggled to prove his worth since moving to Chelsea. He frequently sits on the bench, his form is inconsistent, and he has gradually lost his place in the squad. A Chelsea fan, money_mase1919, commented, "Garnacho is a transfer that makes me question the club's entire strategy".
This particular loss to Man Utd held significant weight for Garnacho. He left Old Trafford with ambitions of conquering the Champions League, but his former team is now nearing that goal, while Chelsea is lagging behind. An X account, UtdForever7, wrote, "He left Man Utd to pursue the Champions League. And now Man Utd themselves may have dashed that opportunity".
Compiled by Hoang An
