FC Copenhagen defender Denis Vavro dubbed Alejandro Garnacho a ‘clown’ as he accused the Manchester United forward of trying to scuff the penalty spot a second time during the Red Devils’ away defeat in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.
In another dismal evening for Erik ten Hag’s side, United threw away their lead three times after going down to 10 men after Marcus Rashford was given his marching orders in the first half to lose 4-3.
Copenhagen were awarded a penalty just before the half-time whistle following a handball in the penalty area by Harry Maguire, but despite Diogo Goncalves proving inch-perfect from the spot, Vavro claims that Garnacho sought to once again involve himself in the build-up.
The Man United winger had previously come under fire for a similar attempt during the first-leg of the tie at Old Trafford, but that attempt was saved by Andre Onana to allow the home side to hold onto their 1-0 lead.
Vavro and his team-mates were said to be incredulous that the player would attempt the play a second time, particularly away at Parken, with the defender deriding his ‘child’s’ mentality.
‘I saw that he tried to do something about the penalty kick, but Kevin Diks stood in front and blocked,’ Vavro told Bold.dk.
‘It is the second time (Garnacho has done this). And then on our track? To me, he is a clown.
‘He has the mentality of a child when he tries something like this again. In an away game.
‘One thing is at home in the 97th minute, but here in the first half. I don’t understand him trying to do that.’
Vavro’s team-mate Lukas Lerager also found himself in a tangle with the Argentina international, who he urged to ‘bow his head a little’ after seeming to dive in a challenge.
‘Sometimes people in the big clubs have to bow their heads a little,’ Lerager said after the final whistle. ‘Just know that they are human too.
‘There is just a situation where I take the ball from him inside the field, where he throws himself, and then I tell him some things that are not so nice, but still with respect for him as a person.
‘(Diving) just doesn’t suit him. He needs to know that.’
In footage of the build-up to the penalty, it is unclear as to whether Garnacho deliberately attempted to interfere with the spot in Copenhagen.
After his efforts to put off Jordan Larsson in late October, the 19-year-old was branded ‘baby level’ by former Arsenal player Kim Kallstrom on Swedish television, and Chris Sutton called his unsportsmanlike actions ‘awful’ on Mail Sport’s It’s All Coming Up podcast.
‘Just imagine if that was the other way round,’ Sutton said. ‘And Manchester United needed to get back into the game. There would be, I mean, there would be outrage from Manchester United fans, wouldn’t there?
‘I thought that was really, really poor from Garnacho. You know, I really did. Digging up the penalty spot is a totally different thing.
‘I think that that’s a really poor show from Garnacho and Manchester United and he should be called out for it. I hope Eric ten Hag deals with this in his next presser.’
