Alejandro Garnacho

Alejandro Garnacho is undoubtedly one of the most exciting young prospects at Manchester United. Despite being just 18 years old, Garnacho has already made a significant impact at United, impressing coaches and fans alike with his skill, work ethic, and determination. This article takes a closer look at Garnacho’s career journey from childhood to his transfer to the Red Devils and his introduction to the United squad.

Childhood

Garnacho was born on May 31, 2004, in Alcala de Henares, a town near Madrid, Spain. He began playing football at a young age, showing a natural talent for the sport. He joined the youth academy of local club CD Avila in 2011, where he spent four years honing his skills and developing his game.

In 2015, Garnacho joined the youth academy of Getafe CF, which is one of the most prominent football clubs in Madrid. He quickly made a name for himself with his performances in the youth teams, showcasing his technical and goalscoring abilities. He spent two years at Getafe before moving to Atletico Madrid’s youth academy in 2017.

Garnacho continued his development at Atletico Madrid, playing for the club’s youth teams and impressing coaches with his performances. He was part of the Atletico Madrid Under-19s team that reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Youth League in the 2019/2020 season, scoring two goals in the competition.

Despite his promising performances, Garnacho was still unable to break into the Atletico Madrid first team. His frustration with the lack of first team football led to him leaving the club in search of more opportunities. Manchester United, who had been monitoring the young forward’s progress for some time, offered him a contract in September 2020. Soon after, Garnacho was signed by United.

United U18s and U23s

Despite being relatively unknown to most United fans at the time, the young Spaniard quickly made a name for himself with his performances in the academy. Since joining United, Garnacho has continued to impress coaches and fans with his performances, showing a maturity and composure beyond his years. Following sterling performances he quickly became regarded as one of the most promising young talents at the club.

Garnacho made his debut for the Under18s team in October 2020, scoring a goal and providing an assist in a 4-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers. He continued to impress in subsequent games, showcasing his versatility and technical ability as well as his eye for goal.

As a result of his impressive performances, Garnacho was called up to the Under-23s team in December 2020, making his debut in a 2-2 draw against Arsenal. He quickly established himself as a regular member of the team, contributing with goals and assists in several games.

by Stefan Attard

Garnacho’s performances have not gone unnoticed by United’s coaching staff, with Under-23s coach Neil Wood describing him as a “big talent” and a “player that can make things happen”.

The 2021/2022 season was a breakthrough year for Garnacho, as he established himself as one of the most promising young talents at United. He made 20 appearances for the Under23s team, scoring six goals and providing two assists. He also made his senior debut for United in the Premier League, coming on as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Watford in November 2021.

Garnacho’s performances in the 2021/2022 season earned him a call-up to the Spain Under-18s team, where he made his debut in a 3-0 win over Romania in October 2021. He was also named on the bench for United’s first team on several occasions, highlighting his progress and potential.

Plenty of exciting youngsters have emerged out of Manchester United’s youth ranks over the years but not all of them have made it (especially after Sir Alex’s era). It takes more than just raw talent to make it at a huge football club like Manchester United. It doesn’t matter how talented a youngster is or what magic they can perform at such a tender age if they don’t have the right attitude and mentality to put those pieces together and perform at high levels consistently. Just cast your mind back to all the hopeful teenagers making their United debuts. The big things they promised. Only a select few have gone on to have a significant impact at the club, especially in recent years. The list has narrowed as the years have gone on.

Alejandro Garnacho certainly has the ability and he might have proven he also has the right temperament to ensure it doesn’t go to waste. Excitement was sky-high for what the Argentine starlet could achieve following his sublime displays in the triumphant FA Youth Cup campaign last season. Garnacho was the star of the young side that claimed the prestigious trophy for the first time in over a decade, grabbing seven goals and three assists in just six games.

Senior team breakthrough

Garnacho made his first appearance for Erik ten Hag as a late substitute in the opening game of the season against Brighton & Hove where United lost 2-0 at home. The Argentine was given chances in October and went on to score winning goals against Real Sociedad and Fulham in November. Since coming in for his first Premier League start on November 6 against Villa, he has featured in every game in all competitions.

His explosive introduction to the first team fizzled out a bit as the forward seemed to make more of an impact when coming out as a substitute. However, given his age, this should be of no surprise. Garnacho is still only 18 and has a lot of developing to do. His below par performances reached a nadir following the 2-2 draw with Leeds in which he started but squandered two great opportunities to score. After the game, he took to Instagram to express his dismay over his performance.

“When you don’t understand what is happening, remember that God is in control,”

“I trust the plan you have for me.”

Alejandro Garnacho on Instagram

Four days later he would have the chance to bounce back. And so he did. United faced off against Leeds again and Garnacho was understandably dropped to the bench. It was a much staler encounter than the one at Old Trafford and the game didn’t spring to life until Garnacho was introduced. His verve and impetus off the bench pushed United to get the opener and he sealed the win five minutes later with an excellent goal, clinically finishing after cutting in off the left.

In arguably United’s biggest tie of the season, Alejandro Garnacho was thrown on midway through the second half, and the youngster certainly inspired the team to a huge win after a disappointing first half. The youngster led the press late in the game to continually disrupt Barcelona’s attempts to build from the back.

Ten Hag praised the youngster’s ability and attitude in an interview with BT Sport after the full-time whistle. The manager said: “One part of our game plan is that we can bring Antony and Garnacho and open the wide areas you can get speed and running in behind and dribbles. “They are both so brave, they don’t fear anyone, they just take players on and I think that gives a boost to the whole team.”

With Garnacho out of contract at the end of next season, negotiations are ongoing between the attacker’s representatives and United to extend his contract. Manchester United do have the option of extending his deal by an extra year.