Manchester United has sparked outrage by refusing to allow Alejandro Garnacho to join Argentina’s squad.

According to reports, Manchester United have risked a club-versus-country squabble by preventing Alejandro Garnacho from joining Argentina for international duty. The Premier League powerhouses have taken steps to prevent the teenager from joining the Under-20 squad for the U20 Sudamericano tournament in January.

Garnacho, along with four other players – Matias Soule, Franco Carboni, Valentin Carboni, and Luka Romero – have yet to be released by their clubs, forcing head coach Javier Mascherano to wait before reveɑling his final squad list.

According to TyS Sports, the winger has not joined the squad, and it appears that United has denied him the opportunity to play in the tournament, where several stars have previously been noticed.

The teenager was called up to Argentina’s national team setup in March this year before making his senior debut, as the Latin American nation attempted to secure his international allegiance, with Spain the other nation keen on convincing Garnacho to reject Argentina.

Alejandro Garnacho: The Manchester United midfielder has been denied permission to join Argentina’s squad (Image: Getty Images)

However, he appears to have made his decision after pledging his commitment to the South American nation despite missing out on their World Cup squad in Qatar. He scored four goals in four games in the Maurice Revello tournament after joining the Under-20 squad.

However, his importance at club level has changed since assuming a more prominent role, and the tournament, which begins on January 20, would interfere with Garnacho’s plan to compete for a place in Ten Hag’s starting XI.

After coming off the bench in a 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage earlier this season, the 18-year-old has managed to break into the Red Devils team under Erik ten Hag. He has scored twice in 10 appearances to highlight his ability and enormous potential, with his first goal coming against Real Sociedad in the Europa League.

Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho represents Argentina U20s (Image: Getty)

Ten Hag would be reluctant to lose the talented youngster for the month-long tournament, especially during such a busy period of the season, after previously praising the forward.

“This is a huge win for Alejandro Garnacho. He completed, and he is always in the spotlight for it, which is also justified,” Ten Hag said. “It was a great finish, it is what we expect from the subs coming in, that is what you have to do.

“I am very pleased with his progress. We have an extra player in this squad, and I am happy for the academy because they brought out a player, and I am happy for the coaches because they did a good job. That’s fantastic.”

Garnacho would miss three matches if he traveled for the entire tournament, including the trip to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Memphis Depay’s actions following his departure from Manchester United demonstrate that he is ready to return.

Memphis Depay had a disappointing first season at Manchester United, but he’s been excellent since leaving in 2017.

When Memphis Depay realized his time at Manchester United was up, he knew he had to make the right decision. He had gone from being the golden boy of Dutch football to a player with a reputation and plenty more to prove by leaving PSV Eindhoven for 18 miserable months at Old Trafford.

Depay moved to a club of United’s stature too early in his career, and he only scored seven goals in 53 games, only two of which were in the Premier League. The forward had to start again after being limited to just 20 minutes of league football in the first 21 games of Jose Mourinho’s tenure.

Memphis Depay has recovered admirably from his disappointing time at United.

But, contrary to his reputation as a bit of a wild card, he did something that no other player was doing at the time. He enlisted data firm SciSports to assess his best options, along with his agency SEG, who now represents Erik ten Hag.

According to the company’s website: “Datascouts from SciSports created a Player Report for Depay. This report produced a list of clubs that met the player’s specifications. Based on SciSports’ algorithms, the report recommended five clubs for Memphis Depay’s next step in his career.

“The report included an in-depth analysis of several factors, including club and manager playing styles, competition in his preferred positions, and other key points based on Memphis’ personal preferences. A SciSports delegation paid him a visit at his home to learn more about his preferences. Memphis, for example, desired more freedom when attɑcking in order to maximize the use of one of his key qualities, creativity.”

Depay ruled out moves to Everton and Fenerbache with the help of SciSports before settling on Lyon in Ligue 1. In four and a half seasons in France, he scored 76 goals in 178 games and rebuilt his career. His 43 goals for the Netherlands rank him second all-time, seven goals behind Robin van Persie, and he has 14 goals in 41 games for Barcelona.

His move to the Nou Camp did not work out, which is why he is seen as a potentially attainable option for United in January, particularly given the balancing act they face between a lack of transfer funds and a desire to strengthen their attɑck.

“We are constantly in the market. But, as you sɑy, it must meet both the sporting and financial criteria “Ten Hag said following the win over Nottingham Forest.

Depay, who is out of contract with Barcelona in the summer and could be available on loan as the Catalan club tries to ease their financial 𝘸oes, fits the bill, but there is a sense he is an unwɑnted forward around Old Trafford.

The majority of this stems from his disɑstrous first season at the club. His ego was out of control for a player of his caliber at the time, and he lacked professionalism when he wasn’t with Carrington. But players can change, and the care with which he chose his next move was a clear indication that this was a forward who still wɑnted to get the most out of his career.

There are other indications that he is not the brash, blingy youngster who arrived at United in 2015. His relationship with Louis van Gaal was strained at the time, but they have since reconciled. Van Gaal included Depay in his World Cup squad despite an injᴜry that had disrupted his preparations, and he told the rest of the squad that Depay was the only player for whom he would have done so.

In a touching and typically humorous Van Gaal press conference, before they played Argentina in the quarter-finals in Qatar, the Netherlands boss said his relationship with Depay – who was sitting next to him at the time – had improved so much they now “kiss on the lips”.

Ten Hag is also aware of what he would be getting with Depay. He was PSV’s assistant manager between 2009 and 2011, when the forward was making his way from the academy to the first team. Ten Hag is mentioned in Dutch football expert Karan Tejwani’s book Glorious Reinvention: “He played an important role in the development of an emerging Memphis Depay, then with the youth teams at PSV, who, according to Ten Hag, needed the freedom to work his magic.”

Depay appears to check a lot of boxes for United in January. It’s worth noting that he’s still only 28, in his prime years as a player, and would be joining a club he knows and a manager he respects. Depay has demonstrated that he is a different character since his first spell at the club, and his approach to leaving Old Trafford demonstrated how much he valued getting the most out of his game.

The conditions in Manchester could be ideal for another attempt.