Andre Onana defends Alejandro Garnacho over controversial social media post

Andre Onana saved a crucial penalty for Manchester United in the Champions League

Andre Onana has stepped up for his Manchester United teammate Alejandro Garnacho over a social media post that the Argentine was forced to delete.

After the match against Copenhagen was over, Manchester United players were happy with the performance of their keeper. Onana was criticised for the poor start that he made to his career at Old Trafford.

Alejandro Garnacho posted a picture of Andre Onana with two gorilla emojis in it. He was then forced to delete the post, after being alerted to the potential racial connotation. However, the United winger could still face a sanction from the FA who have contacted the Argentine to ask for his "observations" on the issue.

Andre Onana wrote on Instagram, "People cannot choose what I should be offended by. I know exactly what Garnacho meant: power & strength. This matter should go no further."

The FA have a track record for cracking down on racially sensitive posts by footballers; previously, players such as Bernardo Silva and Edison Cavani have faced match bans for similar offences, and it's possible that Garnacho could be in for a similar punishment.

Manchester United have already fallen foul of those rules, with Edinson Cavani banned for three games in 2020 after he wrote 'Gracias Negrito' to a friend who had congratulated him for scoring a goal on his Instagram story. Cavani also deleted the post and said the message "was intended as an affectionate greeting to a friend" as part of an apology.

Onana's support and firm opinion that the matter "should go no further" may help Garnacho's cause, but it still remains to be seen what action, if any, the FA will decide to take on the matter.