Alejandro Garnacho 'to miss FA Cup final' against Man City, even though he’ll be fit

Alejandro Garnacho will miss Manchester United's FA Cup final clash with Manchester City after making a decision about playing for his country, according to reports.

The 18-year-old forward, who has been out of action since picking up an ankle injury against Southampton on March 12, recently shared an encouraging injury update.

He posted a picture showing him “back with the boots” on at Carrington – a huge boost to Erik ten Hag considering his lack of options of late due to injuries.

But it appears the teenager will miss the final two Premier League games, as well as June's FA Cup final, after making himself available to play for Argentina at the Under-20 World Cup.

That's according to Argentinian journalist Damian Villagra, who claims Garnacho has decided to play for Javier Mascherano's side.

He wrote on Twitter: "Alejandro Garnacho's decision is to come and play the World Cup for the Argentina National Team."

The knockout stages of the Under-20 competition are scheduled to take place on the same weekend as the FA Cup weekend, with group stage games against Uzbekistan, Guatemala and New Zealand being played between May 20 and May 26.

United face Chelsea on May 25 at Old Trafford before coming up against Fulham on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign.

It must be noted that neither Manchester United or Argentina have confirmed the news as the youngster continues to recover from injury.

Last week, reports emerged suggesting that United are unwilling to allow Garnacho to go on international duty next month.

Argentina have named the teenager in their preliminary squad for the tournament, which will be hosted by the South American nation.

However, United are attempting to block the 18-year-old from taking part in the tournament, according to Argentinian journalist Gaston Edul.

In a tweet translated from Spanish, Edul said: "Manchester United does not want to give up Alejandro Garnacho for the World Cup and they have already communicated it.

"It is difficult for them to leave. AFA and [U20 boss Javier] Mascherano are going to do everything possible to keep him there but it is complicated."

Thoughts on the situation? Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Argentina, Alejandro Garnacho, Manchester United, Premier League, Erik Ten Hag

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

@jackkenmare_