Not Ronaldo or Antony: It was Man United’s youngster performance against Sheriff hints he is ready to become world-class player under Erik Ten Hag
It was Sir Matt Busby who said that if a player is good enough, he is old enough to be given a chance in the Manchester United first team. Alejandro Garnacho could be the next youngster to prove that this is still the case.
Erik ten Hag’s spirits were lifted when the team to face FC Sheriff in the Europa League was revealed last night. The team was as usual, very strong for the nature of the game, but there was at least one new face in the form of academy graduate Garnacho.
This summer the decision was made to promote Garnacho and Zidane Iqbal permanently to the first team, given their huge potential, if they are taken on.
Garnacho had already made a name for himself on the international stage when he was called up to the Argentina team in March, to secure his long-term future as the youngster can also represent Spain at international level.
He then took his personal game to the next level and was a catalyst in United winning the FA Youth Cup for the first time in 11 years, scoring a brace in the final against Nottingham Forest.
It was clear that his potential was huge, but he only had one chance in pre-season, appearing in the final friendly against Rayo Vallecano. Naturally, he shone again with another outstanding performance.
However, despite his efforts, meaningful minutes were hard to come by. Garnacho was at a crossroads: he was out of the under-21 team but not ready to break into the first team. He seems to have finally overcome that difficult hurdle.
He was United’s best player against Sheriff on Thursday night, firstly because he was the exciting young face of the team, and full-time because he was the most effective on the pitch.
Instead of rolling his eyes at an unappealing Europa League group stage game, the 18-year-old relished the Old Trafford spotlight and the chance to show Ten Hag what he has been missing all season.
From the opening minutes it was clear that Garnacho was a man, or boy, on a mission. He needed the ball and the focus that came with it, dribbling with his head up and driving straight at his opponents, looking to bamboozle them with his speed and direct, devil-may-care approach.
It was he who won a corner after beating Renan Guedes, a battle that went on all night and was won by the teenager, who was eventually shown a yellow card when he had no choice but to foul his South American opponent.
As the match progressed, his confidence grew. Garnacho was not only playing with the veteran defenders he was up against, but also working hard, running 40 metres back to help win the ball back when Sheriff threatened on the counter-attack.
His last action was almost the one that deserved to be crowned. With just over ten minutes to go, United won a corner in front of the Stretford End. The players pressed into the box, but the ball was kicked low to the teenager on the edge of the area.
If it had been a fairytale ending, his right-footed shot would have gone into the top corner of the goal. Instead, it went over the crossbar.
With that, his job was done. Garnacho was replaced by Donny van de Beek, but the young Argentinian could have been an absolute star in future games.
There has been no outstanding option on United’s left flank this season, with Jadon Sancho continuing to struggle for consistency, while Marcus Rashford has largely been redeployed in a central role given the lack of attacking options.
It would be a big surprise if Garnacho retained his place in the team for the visit of West Ham this weekend, but it’s certainly not out of the question given the quality of his play.
This fairytale is not over yet, it’s just beginning.
