Academy

Garnacho rewards Ten Hag’s faith

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In what was a pivotal game for Manchester United, manager Erik ten Hag handed Alejandro Garnacho just his second competitive start for Manchester United.

It was a strong sign of faith and trust in the 18-year-old who was dropped from the matchday squad during the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia in the summer because of attitude concerns. 

When asked why Garnacho had not featured much earlier this season, ten Hag revealed that he was unhappy with his attitude. 

I was not happy with him [in early weeks of the season], the last weeks I was happy with him, a better attitude, more resilience,” the United manager said in his post-Sheriff press conference after Garnacho put in a man-of-the-match display in a 3-0 win over the Moldovian side.

However, as his attitude inevitably improved during training sessions and the manner of Garnacho’s performance against Sheriff entrusted ten Hag to start him in a crucial Group E encounter against Real Sociedad, and it is fair to say he rewarded his manager’s faith in selecting him.

Needing two goals to win the group and advance to the last 16 stage of the UEFA Europa League, it was Garnacho who got the ball rolling as his excellent finish in the 17 minute put United 1-0 up. Such was the quality of the finish, it felt like Garnacho had been playing for years as he latched on to the excellent through ball from Cristiano Ronaldo and ran at the Sociedad defence to strike an excellent left-footed strike to score his first goal for the club. 

Garnacho’s ability to run in behind was noticeable and it also adds a point of difference to the United attack, which can at times be too predictable. Another key tool that Garnacho has in his armoury is his ability to take players on, which has been evident in his two Europa League games. 

Now the challenge for Garnacho is to keep on impressing his manager with his attitude and performances during matches and at Carrington, because he has the talent and ability to succeed. 

However, it is important to stress that a lot of pressure should not be put on the young Argentine’s shoulders because we have seen plenty of examples whereby young players have been thrown in at the deep end in a Premier League game and not been able to cope because of the intense nature of the league. Unfortunately, some careers have never recovered after that, which is why managers up and down the land must be careful when giving academy players an opportunity.

Therefore, it is absolutely critical that United manager Garnacho carefully and that there is a feeling that ten Hag is the sort of manager who will nurture young players and give them their opportunities when he feels as though they have the attitude and standards that matches their talent.

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