Man United's kids salvage a turnaround win in Hong Kong on miserable post-season tour after players pushed and swore at fans, No 1 striker target said no... and Bruno Fernandes could leave for Saudi
Ruben Amorim tried to brush away suggestion that Bruno Fernandes had played his last game for Manchester United after they stumbled to an unconvincing win over Hong Kong to finish a nightmare post-season tour.
It provided a tiny bit of respite for United fans after what has been a torrid week for the club.
When the Red Devils embarked on their post-season tour, just hours after succumbing to a 15th place Premier League finish - their lowest since relegation in 1974, it was thought there was little to lose.
Despite controversy surrounding post-season tours in an increasingly hectic schedule, the lucrative trip was set to earn the club around £8million - a welcome bonus given they had missed out on the Champions League and a £100m windfall after their defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final last week.
Amorim had defended the tour, calling it a 'small sacrifice' which lets the club 'make contact with our fans around the world',
And the club's chief executive, Omar Berrada, had even appeared optimistic about the summer ahead.
'I can't talk about specifics, but I can say that we've been planning for many months now,' Berrarda told MUTV. 'We were ready for all the different scenarios, so now we know what we need to do.
But fast forward one week and United were left relying on 17-year-old Obi, who just last season was turning out for Arsenal's under-18 sides, to spare their blushes and prevent a second consecutive loss in three days to significantly weaker opposition.
Hong Kong striker Juninho had given the hosts the lead in heavy rain at the Hong Kong Stadium after calamatous goalkeeping from 39-year-old goalkeeper Tom Heaton.
It took until the 82nd minute for United to go ahead, with Obi scoring his first goals at senior level, despite fielding a strong starting line-up including Bruno Fernandes, Alejanro Garnacho, Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund.
Fernandes, who has been linked with a move to Al-Hilal, was left red faced after attempting a rabona while through one-on-one with the goalkeeper with United behind.
Another former Arsenal star, Ayden Heaven, eventually grabbed his first goal to seal the win in stoppage time.
Just two days earlier, United had suffered a humiliating defeat 1-0 at the hands of an exhibition side.
Amorim's side limply lost in Malaysia against ASEAN All-Stars, with fans who had paid up to £260 jeering at the 84,00 seater Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
ASEAN All-Stars lifted the Maybank Challenge Cup meaning United watched their opposition get their hands on a trophy for the second time in a week.
Despite wretched performances on the pitch, it only seemed to be getting worse for United off it.
While a £65m deal for Matheus Cunha appears to be nearing completion, on Thursday they were snubbed by another key target Liam Delap.
Just a fortnight ago the Red Devils seemed to be in pole position to sign the Ipswich forward, but on Thursday Chelsea, who will compete in next season's Champions League, triggered his £30m release clause.
Amorim has also been forced to answer questions about the future of Fernandes.
The Portuguese midfielder, one of the few players to have escaped a miserable season with any credit, is said to be 'seriously' contemplating leaving the club in the upcoming transfer window, as interest from Al-Hilal intensifies.
Mail Sport reported on Thursday that Fernandes' agent had held face-to-face talks with the Saudi Arabian club at a hotel in Riyadh over a mega-money deal for the Portuguese midfielder's services.
Talks at the Four Seasons hotel are believed to have continued late into the night and sources describe the discussions as positive.
Al-Hilal are prepared to effectively quadruple Fernandes' salary of £280,000-a-week by increasing it to £700,000 tax-free as part of a package worth up to £200million over three years including bonuses.
BBC Sport reported that Fernandes has not completely committed his future to the team and is considering leaving Old Trafford.
Asked if it was Fernandes' final United appearance after they scraped past Hong Kong, Amorim admitted 'you never know'.
'I don't think so. I don't know for sure. I think he wants to stay,' he said.
'He is saying no to a lot of things. The club can find other ways to make money. The feeling I get is that he wants to continue for sure with Man United, you never know.'
One player who almost certainly won't be staying in Manchester is academy graduate Garnacho.
Tension between the Garnacho and Amorim skyrocketed after the Argentine hit out at his boss for benching him in their Europa League final defeat to Spurs.
Garnacho only played for 20 minutes after coming on from the bench and the 20-year-old failed to hide his frustration with Amorim as he admitted it had been a 's***' season for the club.
His agent brother then added fuel to the fire by posting on Instagram that the winger had been 'thrown under the bus' by the Portuguese boss.
Mail Sport exclusively revealed that Garnacho was then brutally warned by Amorim that he needs to 'pray' he can find a new club in front of team-mates.
Despite their feud, Garnacho was included in the squad which jetted to Asia, but the club now may be regretting that decision.
On Friday, a video emerged of the youngster involved in an altercation with a fan in Kuala Lumpur.
A moody Garnacho, sporting sunglasses and a golden chain, appeared to 'push' a fan as he was asked if he prefered Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Bro, you pushed me,' the shocked supporter then exclaims. with the forward walking off. It is unclear from the footage whether or not the fan is in fact pushed by Garnacho.
It came just one day after Amad Diallo went viral for swearing at fans.
The Ivorian was seen raising his middle fingers as the team left their hotel.
The 22-year-old rushed to social media to admit he did not regret making the gesture and that it was in response to someone who shouted personal abuse relating to his mother.
'I have respect for people but not for the one who insults my mom…' he said on X.
'I shouldn't have reacted like that but I don't regret what I did.
'We had a great time in Malaysia with good people.'
A number of other bizarre events also took place on the ill-fated tour.
Andre Onana, Harry Maguire and Diogo Dalot popped up in India for a meet and greet on Thursday while United stars were ruthlessly mocked by fans online after being seen on open-top bus parade - before suffering defeat to ASEAN All-Stars.
A clip of four first-team stars - Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven - atop the bus in Kuala Lumpur went viral with the caption: 'Manchester United parading in Malaysia. What a joke of a club'.
It was a far cry from the victory parade taking place throughout England this week as Tottenham, Crystal Palace, and Liverpool all showed off their domestic trophies to their fans.
There is little break for United's stars, with Fernandes and Dalot likely involved for Portugal in their Nations League semi-final against Germany on 4 June.
Just over a month later United's pre-season tour begins in Sweden, and it surely can't go any worse than the past week.
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