Ruben Amorim believes Alejandro Garnacho “wants a different thing with different leadership” after admitting things did not work out between the pair.

Garnacho is one of four wantaway players currently still at United, along with Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia, and has been linked with a move to Chelsea.

The 21-year-old was left out of the squad for the Manchester derby last December, reportedly due to his attitude, but was described as “improving” by Amorim on several occasions afterwards.

However, Garnacho did not start the Europa League final, only coming on late in the second half, and was critical of the head coach’s decision to limit his involvement when speaking to the media.

Garnacho made 40 appearances in all competitions under Amorim, starting 25 of those, while he also scored four goals and registered six assists. Only Bruno Fernandes (11) managed more in that time.

He is currently training in Manchester during United’s pre-season tour of the United States and is expected to leave after five years at the club.

“I think Garnacho, you can understand, and you can see, he’s talented, he’s a really talented boy,” Amorim said. “And sometimes things don’t work out. You cannot explain specifically what it is.

“But I have the feeling, I think it’s clear that Garnacho wants a different thing with a different leadership. And I can understand that. So, I think it’s not a problem.

“Sometimes you adapt to one guy, you have the connection. Other times, you want a new challenge. So, we try to make everything okay to all the parts. To the club, to the coach and to the players. So, it’s a natural thing in football.”

United finished 15th in the Premier League in 2024-25, registering their worst-ever finish in the competition as they amassed just 42 points.

They won just seven games after Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag in November and asked how he felt to return home after repeated defeats, he revealed it was actually the pre-match that caused him stress.

“To tell you the truth, it’s not how I returned to my house after the games, it was how I left to go to the games, because I felt that sometimes we will struggle,” he said.

“All the struggles we had in games, I felt it before. That was the hardest part. To go to the games and know that we are not going to be competitive – I was really frustrated.

“Sometimes, when you are losing, you might think, let’s change the standards a little bit for them [the players] to be with me.

“I didn’t – and they saw it. Now they understand when I say something, I will do it. I don’t treat the players as babies. But they have rules now, and that can change the way you train.

“I’m always on top. If you don’t train in the right way, I have footage to show you. And I show you in front of everybody.”