Alejandro Garnacho has enjoyed a remarkable rise to prominence at Manchester United in recent years and on Wednesday made a point of stepping forward to speak to the media at Carrington
Three years ago last week, Alejandro Garnacho’s family were moved to tears in the directors’ box at Old Trafford as, donning the No.47 shirt, he stepped onto the pitch for his Manchester United debut against Chelsea.
At just 17 years old, Ralf Rangnick had spotted Garnacho’s potential, which had been instrumental in leading United’s academy to the FA Youth Cup final. Following his first-team debut, Garnacho returned to Old Trafford two weeks later and sealed the victory against Nottingham Forest with a brace.
Since than, United have kept Garnacho from extensive media exposure. But on Wednesday, for the first time since his arrival in Manchester four-and-a-half years ago, Garnacho made his first Carrington press appearance.
It came at a time where his long-term future is somewhat uncertain. In January, Napoli saw a £40million bid rejected while Chelsea have shown interest too. Both could launch summer moves. But Garnacho – a product of Atletico Madrid’s and United’s development as a winger – is now adapting to life under a coach devoted to a 3-4-2-1 formation. He’s started 13 matches on the trot and is set to make it 14 against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night.
He conceded that the initial transition under Ruben Amorim had been “difficult”. And he joined Marcus Rashford in being left out of the squad for the Manchester derby back in mid-December due to issues with their attitude. Since then, Rashford hasn’t played for United and might never again.
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But Garnacho has knuckled down and is firmly back en vogue. United are closing in on a deal for Matheus Cunha which looks near enough done, sparking talk that Garnacho’s place as a starter could be under threat as the club seeks a new No. 10 and a specialist.
Yet this is the winger who surged past Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, and Anthony Elanga in the fight for the left-wing spot. Garnacho has outlasted them all. Former teammates from Jose Mourinho’s days at the helm have taken note of Rashford’s inability to take criticism well. Meanwhile, Garnacho showcased self-reflection during his discussion at Carrington.
Garnacho admitted: “I think it’s difficult for everyone when, in the middle of the season, a new manager comes in and we change the formation. But we just need to follow the rules and I try to improve every day.
“Obviously, the manager knows the characteristics of the players. You see the games, too many times I play, for example, wide on the wing and the wing back is coming inside. What we try to do depends on the players we have and we are improving as a team also.
“It’s a little bit hard but it’s just the mentality. My first two months, November and December were very difficult for me but my mentality is to keep working, to keep trying and show to the manager and staff I have to play.”
In preparation for the quarter-final second leg against Lyon, United opted for Harry Maguire to partner Amorim as they sought a “leader” for the press address. According to club insiders, Garnacho took the initiative himself to step up here, realising he hadn’t previously faced pre-match media responsibilities and he fancied taking the lead.
He wanted to convey his happiness at the club: “Obviously as a footballer you read and listen to some rumours about the future, but I have a contract here until 2028. I am happy here.”
Having played 140 times for United, Garnacho joining Amorim at the media forefront signalled his ascending maturity and experience.
Despite having emulated Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal celebrations, Garnacho modestly sidestepped direct comparisons with the legendary winger. He is just a single goal shy of equalling the 27 goals Ronaldo netted in his initial three years with United. Ronaldo was 21 years old in his third season with the club back in 2005-06, and Garnacho is set to celebrate his own 21st birthday this July.
When it comes to statistics, Garnacho downplays their significance. “I’m not focused on the numbers. I think when Cristiano played here he’s a different footballer and different types of games, I just try to help the team and win games.”
“Obviously, missing chances, we are training really hard, me, Rasmus (Hojlund), all the strikers in the team, so I think we are improving and trying to do better.”
Four members of Garnacho’s family were spotted in the United executives’ section in Bilbao last week, proudly wearing ‘Garnacho 17’ on their shirts. If he remains, it may not be long until he’s upgraded to the club’s much-vaunted No.7.
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