Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho has issued an emotional message on social media as he confirms he will miss several of the club’s upcoming games as well as his first international call-up.
The youngster was on the receiving end of a scissor tackle by Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters on Sunday, which despite Casemiro receiving a red for his own accidental follow-through on Carlos Alcaraz, did not result in a booking.
Regardless, the card-worthy albeit accidental challenge left the 18-year-old writhing on the floor in pain for several minutes as United medical staff examined him before he was ultimately helped to his feet and limped off the pitch.
While Reds will have been hoping it was merely a knock, the Argentinian forward shared an update to Instagram followers on Tuesday, informing them that he will now “not be able to help [his] team in the upcoming games in what is a very important part of the season”.
Even prior to his statement, fears over the extent of his damage only worsened after TyC Sports’ Gastón Edul reported that following initial scans, Garnacho’s injury was found to be “worse than expected” and might also miss his upcoming games for Argentina.
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It is thought that he sustained an ankle ligament injury as a result of the collision and will now miss United’s Europa League Round of 16 match against Real Betis, their FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham; Argentina’s friendlies against Panama and Curaçao, as well potentially further league games.
The teenager received a first senior call-up for his country only earlier this month but as explained in the post, he is “disappointed to also miss the opportunity to be with [his] teammates in the Argentinian National Team”, noting it “would have been a great and proud moment for me and my family.”
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While Garnacho vowed to “come back stronger than ever”, Edul claims that the players could be ruled out for “six weeks” or more.
Garnacho injury vs Southampton means he will miss his opportunity with Argentina. But refree thinks no penalty needed or even yellow cardpic.twitter.com/hTCCxmHZgw
Sadly, the much nastier and more disappointing backdrop to Garnacho’s injury was the racist abuse Walker-Peters received from so-called ‘fans’ online following the match.
Issuing his own statement after the game, the 25-year-old said: “the racial abuse I received is something that no player or person should ever have to experience. We need to be better, and this is bigger than just football”. He also called on social media platforms to do more to prevent these incidents.
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He ended his message by wishing Garnacho the best and insisting, “it would never be my intention to injure a fellow professional. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you back in action as soon as possible.”
Southampton have condemned the abuse, noting that they are “disgusted and disappointed in the behaviour of those online who lower themselves to abusing players for the colour of their skin” as well as taking aim at social media platforms “who allow such hatred to breed and fester.” Garnacho and teammate Raphael Varane were two of the first to send their messages of support
Alejandro Garnacho & Raphael Varane issue messages of support to Kyle Walker-Peters ❤️ pic.twitter.com/GqxMrMe931
Featured Image — Alejandro Garnacho (via Instagram)
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Eric Cantona becomes latest co-owner of FC United
Danny Jones
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Former French footballer andMan United legend Eric Cantona has become the latest co-owner of local non-league club FC United of Manchester.
The 58-year-old ex-Leeds United forward and Red Devil retired from the sport in 1997 at the age of 30 before going on to be involved in acting, art, music and more in the nearly three decades since.
Cantona does still dip his toe back in the pool every now and again, being spotted at the Manchester derby on Sunday, but before that put some extra shine on the Northern Premier League side’s 1-1 draw against Mickleover on Saturday by becoming an official FC United member and co-owner.
Writing in the caption on social media, ‘Eric the King’ said: “Proud new member of FC United with the whole Cantona family. Join FC United of Manchester, it’s just 25 pounds.
As you can see in the short clip, the enigmatic jack-of-all-trades went on to say, “The Cantona family, we are all members of United FC.
“All the people from all around the world should be members of [FC] United because it’s a great club.”
He added that despite still being a relatively young team, they have a “great history”, as well as expressing a level of admiration for their core principles.
For anyone still not up to speed two decades on, FC United is the spiritual phoenix club of Manchester United, founded back in 2005 by those supporters who were against the initial leveraged buyout by the Glazer family.
Their home at Broadhurst Park in Moston was also the site of the latest ‘Glazers Out’ protest, as both fan bases still naturally overlap quite heavily. Safe to say pre-takeover figures like Cantona, who has been vocal on many contemporary issues threatening the sport, is still plenty popular among their fans.
Looking For Eric? No need – he found us right here at FC United of Manchester pic.twitter.com/m3JvQrDZ4I
— FC United of Manchester 🟥⬜⬛ (@FCUnitedMcr) April 5, 2025
This isn’t the first time the man behind the infamous kung-fu kick in 1995 has shown his support for the non-league outfit, having raffled shirts and signed films to help raise funds in the past.
He also gave an interview in an official matchday programme back in 2021 and will now be helping increase the club’s reputation and wider profile in the years to come.
Featured Images — FC United (screenshot via X)/TNT Sports (screenshot via YouTube)
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Pep Guardiola says Manchester United fans should be ‘ashamed’ after ‘sick’ chant
Danny Jones
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Man City manager Pep Guardiola has condemned the Man United fans who began what has been described as a ‘sick’ chant during this weekend’s Manchester derby.
It was a forgettable outing for both sides of the city after a game where a lack of quality in the final third ultimately led to a bore draw at Old Trafford.
Speaking in the post-match press conference, having already made a point of consoling him on the pitch after the full-time whistle, Guardiola said it displayed “a lack of class” from the home support.
Although the Catalan coach added the caveat that “it’s not United, it’s the people [instead]” and does happen all over the world, he still questioned the need to draw family members into chanting.
Described by many online as abuse, he went on to state that those involved “should be ashamed” and simply showed a lapse in “integrity” from those who continued well into the second half.
Foden himself could be seen reacting to the chants during the game, giving the crowd a sarcastic thumbs up and then swinging his arm upwards as if to ask for them to keep it up.
It would have no doubt stirred plenty of motivation in the 24-year-old Stopfordian, but he was ultimately subbed off just before the hour mark to a further chorus of jeers and looked to be somewhat limping down the tunnel after all was said and done – again, with the chants about his mum continuing.
Striker Troy Deeney told talkSPORT that it is merely “part of the game, unfortunately”, and United legend Gary Neville still criticised both sides for being too friendly both before and after what is supposed to be a fierce rivalry.
Is he right?
Though an arm around the shoulder from Pep in the immediate aftermath served as a touching gesture and consolation for Foden following a difficult evening, the England international has so far refused to comment on the treatment from the opposition supporters afterwards.
If anything, his subsequent post on social media was a standard but defiant one, simply writing: “We keep going.”
Despite struggling to hit the same heights he did last season and has shown in spells over recent years, former City defender Micah Richards still believes we’ll see a “better” Phil Foden when team talisman De Bruyne leaves at the end of the season.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below.
Danny Jones -
14th March 2023 
