Sheriff Tiraspol’s visit to Old Trafford last Thursday might have seemed superfluous to some fans. It certainly wasn’t for Alejandro Garnacho’s family.
The 18-year-old’s inner circle secured five seats in the directors’ box at Old Trafford for what would be his full debut at Manchester United, having only made a handful of substitute appearances previously.
Garnacho’s father, mother, younger brother, girlfriend and agent watched on as the winger gave his family plenty of reasons to spend his 79-minute display on the edge of their seats.
Garnacho won seven duels, had three successful dribbles, won four fouls, touched the ball nine times in the opposition box, had a shot in the second half that wasn’t too far from Sheriff’s crossbar, and was selected as man of the match by his club. He was also spotted taking advice from Cristiano Ronaldo, his idol.
I don’t know if it’s real or if I’m dreaming pic.twitter.com/3GR80nObqU
— Alejandro Garnacho (@agarnacho7) October 27, 2022
“We had been waiting for this moment for a long time as he’s been fully immersed with the first-team dynamics this season. Now it’s time to keep working and seize the moment,” a source from Garnacho’s circle, who did not want to be named, told The Athletic.
His camp was thankful to Erik ten Hag for picking him in the starting XI in what was a must-win game for a Manchester United side who are keen on topping their Europa League group.
“Earning a place in an elite squad is one of the most difficult tasks a footballer can have and he is on that stage right now,” the source said.
Erik ten Hag praised the youngster after the match but also raised some points for Garnacho to work on.
“He deserved his chance, but there is still a lot of room for improvement,” the United manager said, “especially in the defending part, in the pressing part, in the counter-press, in the defensive transition.
“He can take players on. It is a good capability in football, especially against opponents who defend so deep. But don’t forget: you are playing in a team.
“I was not happy with him (in the early weeks of the season). The last weeks I was happy with him, a better attitude, more resilience.”
Why wasn’t Ten Hag happy at the start of the season?
“They are young kids,” he said. “They have to grow in personality. It’s not about doing tricks or scoring one goal. We are here to win games. You have to fulfil really high standards every day. That’s what we have to teach to young players.”
Garnacho battles Sheriff’s Renan Guedes (Photo: Nigel French/PA Images via Getty Images)
If there’s something we have learned since Ten Hag landed at the club, it’s that his hints have meaning.
Garnacho was designated as the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year in May. He scored 15 goals across all competitions last season, including a brace in the FA Youth Cup final against Nottingham Forest.
He also had international success. Despite being born in Spain, Argentinian heritage from his mum’s side meant he could choose and he opted to represent the South American country. Last season he got his first call-up to the Argentina national team, though he didn’t play, and he got his debut for the under-20s squad, scoring four goals in four appearances.
“Before he made his final decision there was a conversation between myself, Darren Fletcher, Javier Mascherano (Argentina’s under-20 head coach) and other representatives from Argentina,” revealed Manchester United head of academy Nick Cox before the FA Youth Cup final in which Garnacho shone.
“We’re saying, ‘He’s a really young man. We’d really love to know your plans’. They are saying, ‘This is what we’ve got in store, this is how we think it pans out for him’. It was a really nice call actually.”
Garnacho’s talent has never been in dispute. However, Ten Hag said he needed to change some of his behaviour. One element of this in the past was that the teenager walked out of training with his laces untied. It was felt this was too lax an attitude for serious work and had to be corrected.
This all has to be part of the process to unleash the potential of any starlet. His confidence is what makes Garnacho a special talent. It just needs to be tuned in the right way.
That Ten Hag gave the nod for him to start against Sheriff implies there has been progress. As long as he maintains it, he should remain in his manager’s future plans.
“He did what I expected him to do,” said the manager last week of his performance against Sheriff.
Garnacho is under contract until next summer. United held initial talks with the footballers’ camp last summer over an extension, but it was agreed that they would postpone until the transfer window closed.
Sources close to the player admit there are not many teams such as Manchester United in the sport, and the way he’s progressed in the past two years reflect his satisfaction at the club.
Now it’s everyone’s responsibility to turn an exciting European performance into another success story for Manchester United’s talent factory.
(Top photo: Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)