Erik ten Hag is reportedly ready for a sensational signing from his former club Manchester United, now that he has taken over as manager of Bayer Leverkusen.
After months out of work after being sacked from United in October, Ten Hag has signed a deal to take over from Xabi Alonso at Leverkusen. He starts a two-year contract from July 1.
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The job in the Bundesliga gives Ten Hag a perfect opportunity to resurrect himself after a spell at Manchester United where he won two small trophies, but ultimately failed to bring the good times back to Old Trafford.
Ten Hag wants to bring Garnacho to Leverkusen
It has already emerged that Ten Hag wants to bring in a controversial player from his former club – the frozen out winger Alejandro Garnacho.
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Garnacho spoke out about being left out of Ruben Amorim’s starting eleven in the Europa League final, and his comments – as well as criticism from his brother on social media – led the Portuguese coach to take tough measures.
He was left out of the squad for the final league game of the season, and it later emerged that the day before, Amorim effectively ended Garnacho’s career at United when he told him in front of his teammates: “You should pray that you find a club that wants you.”
Garnacho has multiple stakeholders
Garnacho already has admirers at both Chelsea and Serie A champions Napoli, who see him as the perfect replacement for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the left wing after he joined Paris Saint-Germain in January.
But according to journalist Rudy Galletti from TEAMtalk, Ten Hag wants to reunite with Garnacho at Leverkusen.
Garnacho had his breakthrough at United under the Dutchman and scored in both the FA Cup and the Community Shield final under his leadership.
Leverkusen has the means to act
Leverkusen will have money to spend if they sell great Florian Wirtz to Liverpool for around £126 million, and the club are said to have already made contact with Garnacho’s representatives to “explore the possibilities of a deal”.
But they face competition from AC Milan, who have also started new discussions with the player’s team about a transfer. Atlético Madrid are also said to be interested in their former youth player.
Garnacho did indeed play for United in a post-season friendly against the ASEAN All-Stars in Kuala Lumpur, but it appears that he has no future in the first team.
This would be a shocking move if it goes ahead – not only because Garnacho is one of United’s biggest talents, but also because it would be a bold move by Ten Hag to bring him to Leverkusen so soon after his departure from United.
Will Garnacho accept the Bundesliga, or would he prefer a bigger-branded club like Milan or Chelsea? The answer may come soon.
