Manchester United staff members were 'angered and frustrated' to see YouTuber IShowSpeed appearance during the club's FA Cup final post-match celebrations. The American social media megastar joined the Red Devils at a party to celebrate their 2-1 win against Manchester City at Wembley last Saturday (May 25).
The Daily Mail reports that several staff members were upset because Speed, 19, was allowed to party with players. They couldn't because they hadn't been invited to the final.
IShowSpeed (Darren Jason Watson Jr) was in attendance as Alejandro Garnacho's guest. The Argentine attacker netted Manchester United's opener in their unlikely victory against City. Kobbie Mainoo was also on the scoresheet while Jeremy Doku hit back for Pep Guardiola's men.
The post-final bash took place at the Marriott in Mayfair and Speed was seen in various videos and photos. One clip showed the American asking a confused Erik ten Hag to sign him.
Manchester United staff's anger comes after Sir Jim Ratcliffe decided to axe their traditional invitation to after-parties after cup finals. The club's new co-owner has started taking cost-cutting action to kickstart INEOS' handling of sporting operations.
Speed has a massive social media following with 17 million followers on Instagram and 24.8 million on YouTube. He's visited Old Trafford regularly and idolizes Cristiano Ronaldo who he traveled around the globe to try and meet last year.
Manchester United stars respond to IShowSpeed's Instagram post
IShowSpeed's appearance went down well with Manchester United's players as he was seen bonding with Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo, and Rasmus Hojlund. The trio all responded to the YouTuber's Instagram post of his outing at the post-final bash.
Hojlund appeared to still be on the bubbly as he incorrectly spelled United:
"Yantied."
Mainoo (United's other goalscorer) described Speed who loves to bark as his:
"My darg."
Garnacho hilariously demanded Manchester United sign him:
"Sign him (right now)."
That seems unlikely given how Speed has fared in past charity matches. He missed a penalty in a Sidemen Charity Match last year and suggested his playing days were over after that game.
Speed has struck up friendships with several football stars including AC Milan's Rafael Leao. The Portuguese attacker helped him meet Ronaldo for the first time last year.
The popular Twitch streamer recently visited Old Trafford where he jokingly signed a contract with the 13-time Premier League champions.