Alejandro Garnacho sends subtle Man Utd message after dropping to bench

Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho appeared to send a message about his exclusion after coming off the bench to help the team save a point at Everton.

Manuel Ugarte's return from injury allowed head coach Ruben Amorim to start the Uruguayan in midfield and move Bruno Fernandes further forward for the trip to Goodison Park. However, it took the Red Devils until the final 20 minutes of the match to get a foothold of any kind.

Everton led 2-0 at the break, with Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure on target. It was still 2-0 when Garnacho came off the bench for the final half hour, with Chido Obi and Leny Yoro entering the fray in a double change not long after.

United finally managed to halve the deficit when Fernandes found a way past Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal. Ugarte levelled things up just 10 minutes from time, and the visitors held on for a point despite a late scare when Everton were awarded a penalty only for VAR to intervene.

Garnacho had started the previous three matches - a victory over Fulham and defeats against Crystal Palace and Tottenham - but was forced to show what he was able to do in a shorter amount of time on Saturday. His social media comments after the game appeared to show faith in his own performance, though.

In an Instagram story, Garnacho shared a photo of himself in action in Saturday's match. "Much better second half," his caption read.

The comeback allowed United to avoid a third straight league defeat, but they had gone more than 250 minutes without a league goal before Fernandes found the net. They remain 15th after their draw, though they have a chance to climb the table with a midweek victory over Ipswich Town.

Should Alejandro Garnacho start for Manchester United against Ipswich? Have your say in the comments section

Image: garnacho7) garnacho7) Image: Manchester United via Getty Imag) Manchester United via Getty Imag)

United captain Fernandes admitted things didn't go to plan in the first 45 minutes. "When you are in the dressing room at half-time after a game like this, you just have to focus on yourself and try to lift your standard and your game to try to get something from the game," he told MUTV

"Obviously, it was very tough for us in the first half because we were trying to do the things but it wasn't working out in the way that we wanted.

"I think in the second half, obviously you're 2-0 down, you have more freedom because you are already losing, so you have nothing to lose more. I think you get more of a try to do something else, and that's why we get the result."

Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read ourPrivacy Notice.

Click here to read article