“I don’t want him in my team” Sir Jim Ratcliffe has instructed Erig Ten Hag to get rid of Man U star after gifting City the Community shield

Alejandro Garnacho made his Manchester United debut on the bench at Wembley Stadium, having not played since October. He will not be present against Fulham next week.

Coincidentally, Erik ten Hag last listed Garnacho as a substitute versus City. 11 weeks after the FA Cup final, Garnacho displayed his ability to dominate against the champions once more.

Garnacho, who scored the first goal at Wembley, began like he finished last season. Despite the absence of a proven striker, Ten Hag has plenty of attacking alternatives, and Garnacho should return to the starting lineup against Fulham on Friday.

His second Derby goal was about as far apart as his tap-in last season. Garnacho’s single performance was all the more impressive because he got the ball on the right side, which was supposedly his weaker position. He was playing there when he took advantage of City’s confusion earlier this year.

Unlike in May, the game did not end after 90 minutes. Bernardo Silva stunned Facundo Pellistri to equalize in the 89th minute, continuing United’s tendency of scoring late goals. Garnacho was called upon again for the penalty shootout and placed the ball in the opposite corner.

The City banners advertised themselves as “the finest team in the nation and throughout the world.” Their sweep of honors in 2023 was not complete, as they failed to win the Community Shield for the third year in a row. They eventually got their hands on it in 2024.

United began with a weaker lineup than in the previous derby at Wembley. Joshua Zirkzee, the lone summer signing in the team, was an unused substitute, but former Ajax players Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui will both arrive at Carrington soon.

Seven of the United starters were on a tour of the USA. Mason Mount and Marcus Rashford, who are dynamic over the pond, did not create a mark on this side of the Atlantic.

Mount was positioned as the No.10, with Bruno Fernandes as the false nine. Fernandes reminded Ten Hag that he is the playmaker who drives United’s play, hammering in a spectacular goal-that-never-was after straying offside to obtain possession.

Rashford missed two clear chances. The second, following Garnacho’s swift cross, was so obvious that Ruud van Nistelrooy stepped out and onto the touchline to encourage him for many seconds.

This was a unique occurrence, as shown by the unoccupied seats in the hospitality area on each side of the dugout. Fernandes halted pressuring Ederson when he realized he did not have any teammates to back him up. There was not a booking until the 68th minute.

The United skipper was as talkative as usual, sharing Kobbie Mainoo information. Mount caught up with Amad after a tentative start. Amad could not hide his irritation as teammates sent diagonal passes to him.

When he eventually got the ball, Amad duped Josko Gvardiol and attracted acclaim from Ten Hag. Moments later, he created an even better opportunity with a silky one-two with Casemiro while remaining unselfish when he needed to be selfish. Amad’s attempted ball to Mount went astray, and the crestfallen winger required several seconds to free himself from the side net.

Casemiro would have faced high odds to line up for the national anthem at the same stadium where he was released in May. The 32-year-old was an offensive asset in his first season with United, and he is now a more effective attacking midfielder than a defensive one. He cutely created opportunities for Amad and Rashford.

Even as a 17-year-old with no professional appearances, Harry Amass appeared as likely to start as anyone for United. Instead, as the sole travelling outfield player dropped from the matchday roster, he had to take his place in the stands. Amass was allowed to warm up with the listed replacements in order to gain valuable experience on his second matchday at the national stadium.

This was extremely illogical. United has no defenders on the bench, and five have already suffered injuries. Pellistri, who was loaned to Granada in January and was deemed surplus to needs, arrived at Carrington on Monday and was assigned a replacement seat.

Pellistri was nevertheless one of the first substitutions to appear, starting at right back. The fish out of water floundered for Bernardo’s leveller.