Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho could face sanctions from the Football Association (FA) for his recent, now-deleted, social media post about goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The Red Devils recorded a 1-0 victory against FC Copenhagen in a must-win UCL group stage bout, thanks to Harry Maguire's 72nd-minute header. Andre Onana also emerged as an unlikely hero in the match, saving a penalty in the dying embers of the game to hand his side the win.
Acknowledging his teammate's last-ditch efforts, Alejandro Garnacho took to social media to share a photo of Manchester United players celebrating Onana's save. He also added two gorilla emojis in the caption, seemingly to highlight the Cameroonian shot-stopper's courage. However, fans were quick to comment on the contentious nature of the caption, with many people suggesting that it could be construed as a racial slur.
After the negative reaction, Garnacho deleted the post from his account on X (formerly Twitter). Nevertheless, the youngster could still face sanctions from the Football Association, who are investigating the matter at the time of writing. As reported by Manchester Evening News, the FA has very strict rules when it comes to matters concerning racism.
Meanwhile, Onana has come to the rescue of his Manchester United teammate, sharing his opinion on Instagram:
"People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what Garnacho meant: power and strength. This matter should go no further."
Taking Andre Onana's statements into consideration, the FA could levy a minimized penalty on Garnacho, or even let the matter slide. However, at the time of writing, the situation remains unclear.
Jadon Sancho could exit Manchester United in the January transfer window
Manchester United forward Jadon Sancho could leave the club in the January transfer window, according to reports.
In early September, Sancho was dropped from the squad by Erik ten Hag for their Premier League fixture against Arsenal. After the Dutch manager termed his training performances to be sub-par, the former Borussia Dortmund forward refuted the Dutchman in a social media post.
Sancho has since been banished from the United's first-team facilities with Ten Hag waiting for an apology, which hasn't been forthcoming. The Red Devils are now looking to offload their £73m star in the upcoming transfer window.