"That's so childish, it's such a baby level" – Ex-Arsenal midfielder slams Manchester United attacker for his 'ugly' antics against Copenhagen
Former Arsenal midfielder Kim Kallstrom has hit out at Manchester United attacker Alejandro Garnacho after he was spotted roughing up the penalty spot against FC Copenhagen.
The Red Devils opened their UEFA Champions League points tally after three games earlier this Tuesday, October 24. They beat the Danish side 1-0 at Old Trafford, courtesy of a fine Harry Maguire winner.
Deep into injury time, Garnacho became a talking point for trying and scuffing the penalty spot after Copenhagen received a penalty after Scott McTominay's foul. After the Argentine star's antics, Jordan Larsson saw his penalty spot-kick saved by Andre Onana.
During a recent interaction with Expressen, Kallstrom was queried to share his two cents on Garnacho's behavior against Copenhagen. The former Arsenal midfielder said (h/t Football365):
"What an ugly type. Ahh, I don't know. That's so childish. It's such a baby level."
After the end of the match, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag was asked to opine on Garnacho's recent actions. He responded:
"I didn't see it. The referee probably didn't see it either. I don't know."
Copenhagen captain Viktor Claesson, on the other hand, labeled the 18-year-old's scuffing attempts unsporting. He told Danish outlet Bold:
"I think that is unsporting. If he's done it, he's done it. I think that it is taking it too far, but we can also get better at playing a little more dirty here in the Champions League. You don't get plus points for playing nicely."
Garnacho, who broke into Manchester United's first-team plans last campaign, has made 11 appearances across competitions this season. He has scored one goal in three starts and 375 minutes of action so far.
Arsenal keen to snap up Manchester United target and Valencia midfielder Javi Guerra
According to 90min, Arsenal have joined the race to rope in Valencia teenager Javi Guerra in the near future. However, Manchester United could pose a threat as they have been monitoring the star for a while.
Apart from Arsenal and Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, and Newcastle United have also shown interest in signing the 20-year-old. They all sent scouts to keep an eye on the midfielder's performance in Spain U21's friendly against Scotland this past month.
So far, the Arsenal target emerged as a first-team option in mid-April this year. Guerra has maintained his spot since his professional debut, contributing four goals and one assist in 21 games across competitions.