Three years ago last week, the Garnacho family experienced a poignant moment in the directors’ box at Old Trafford. Alejandro, donning the number 47 jersey, made his debut for Manchester United against Chelsea. Ralf Rangnick acknowledged Garnacho’s potential as a 17-year-old who had propelled the academy to the FA Youth Cup final.
Just two weeks after his senior debut at Old Trafford, he played a pivotal role in the final against Nottingham Forest, scoring two goals. United has been understandably cautious about allowing Garnacho to engage with the media. Four and a half years after his arrival in Manchester, during a time when the Covid-19 pandemic restricted public interactions, Garnacho participated in his first press event at Carrington on Wednesday.
Typically, players face a limited number of questions as the spotlight is on the coach; however, Garnacho’s situation was unique. He has become the emblematic figure of the academy, representing not only Erik ten Hag’s era but also the future of United.
This future was uncertain in January when Napoli’s £40 million bid was rejected. Chelsea, having amassed a considerable number of young talents, also showed interest. Garnacho, who was trained as a winger at Atletico Madrid and United, is now under the guidance of a coach committed to a 3-4-2-1 formation. He acknowledged that his initial weeks with Ruben Amorim were challenging.
Amorim excluded both Garnacho and Marcus Rashford from the Manchester derby squad due to their attitudes in mid-December. While Rashford’s future with United remains uncertain, Garnacho has participated in every match since then. He has started in 13 consecutive games, with a 14th match against Athletic Bilbao scheduled for Thursday evening. Amorim has praised him so highly that he was not even asked about Garnacho, who was seated to his right, during the pre-match press conference.
United’s pursuit of Matheus Cunha has progressed to a stage where it would be unexpected if the agreement does not come to fruition. The team is in need of a new No.10 and a specialist, which poses a challenge to Garnacho’s position as a starter.
This is a winger who has surpassed Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, and Elanga in the hierarchy for the left wing. Garnacho has outlasted them all. Teammates dating back to Jose Mourinho’s era observed that Rashford struggled to handle criticism. In contrast, Garnacho displayed self-reflection during his discussion at Carrington.
“I think it’s difficult for everyone when, in the middle of the season, a new manager comes in and we change the formation,” Garnacho explained. “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.”
United selected Harry Maguire to support Amorim prior to the quarter-final second leg against Lyon, seeking a ‘leader’ to engage with the media. This marked Maguire’s second media appearance in the Europa League this season, as the club was running low on available spokespersons.
Garnacho has participated in several media interactions alongside Kobbie Mainoo and conducted an unplanned post-match discussion on the Old Trafford pitch following the 2-0 win over Everton last season. His command of English was as fluid and rapid as his wing play, making transcription challenging. According to club sources, Garnacho expressed a desire to handle the media duties himself, acknowledging that he had not previously participated in pre-match responsibilities. There was no particular message to convey.
Having played 140 matches for United, Garnacho’s presence at the main table with Amorim demonstrated his increasing maturity and experience. Despite having emulated Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebrations at both youth and senior levels, Garnacho has minimized the comparisons between the two wingers.
He is just one goal shy of equaling the 27 goals Ronaldo scored in his first three seasons at United. Ronaldo celebrated his 21st birthday during his third season in 2005-06, while Garnacho will mark his coming of age in July. His performance last season, especially, suggests he is two years ahead of his development trajectory.
“I’m not focused on the numbers,” he shrugged. “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.”
In Bilbao last week, four members of the Garnacho family sat in the United executives’ section, all with ‘Garnacho 17’ on the back of their shirt. If Garnacho stays long enough at United, his squad number might be upgraded again to a standalone ‘7’.
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