Alejandro Garnacho has gone from strength to strength in 2023 for Manchester United and has already demonstrated his ability to bounce back from adversity with his goal against Leeds just four days after he was heavily criticised for his performance against the same opposition.
This character has earned him a spot back in the Argentina squad, after missing out on the 26-man squad that conquered Qatar. Becoming a regular international could be exactly the type of experience Garnacho needs to break into the Manchester United starting lineup more regularly, and with each week the youngster is starting to mirror the early career of former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ever since the Argentine performed the iconic ‘SIU’ celebration in the FA Youth Cup last year the comparisons between the two players emerged, but what started as a gimmick may turn into a more legitimate correlation.
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Whilst Ronaldo has since developed into a more out-and-out forward as his career progressed, he arrived in Manchester aged 18 as a modestly-built winger full of tricks, similar to the profile of Garnacho who is the same age as Ronaldo when he broke into the Manchester United side.
Of course, Garnacho is far from being regarded as a genuine heir to Ronaldo’s thrown at Manchester United, with just two Premier League goals this season he clearly has a long way to go. But Garnacho is currently matching the statistics of Ronaldo’s first season in Manchester with both averaging just over 0.1 goals a game and 0.1 assists per game in the Premier League.
Ronaldo’s goal involvements skyrocketed in seasons to come, and it’s yet to be seen whether Garnacho has the capabilities to flourish in a similar manner to United’s former number seven. However, when a young mercurial talent with tricks and flicks bursts onto the scene at Old Trafford, it’s hard to not have flashbacks to the 2003/4 season where Cristiano Ronaldo announced himself in England.
Garnacho added fuel to the fire with his 93rd-minute winner against Fulham in November, which drew a striking resemblance to Ronaldo’s late winner at Craven Cottage in 2007. In both cases they received the ball on the left wing, drove forward, beat a man and fired into the back of the net.
One of Garnacho’s greatest assets has emerged as his composure in the biggest moments, with three of his four goals in all competitions coming whilst the scores are level to put Manchester United ahead, most recently a 90th-minute goal vs West Ham in the FA Cup.
With four matches until Garnacho will be reporting for international duty, the 18-year-old will be looking to put in some statement performances for United to head into the Argentina camp high on confidence, particularly after the disappointment of Anfield.
With two games in four days the Argentine will be hoping to get the opportunity to shine this week, particularly in the Europa League against Real Betis. Having already scored against Spanish opposition this season, and playing the majority of his academy football for Atletico Madrid it seems the perfect environment for the teenager to put on a dazzling display.
Manchester United’s FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham will be the last game before the dreaded international break, but will Ten Hag place faith in his teenage prospect for a game of that magnitude?
Garnacho has already proven he can flourish in big games, but with the depth of Manchester United’s wide options it appears a steep mountain the climb before he becomes the player Ten Hag counts on from the start. However, if Garnacho keeps up his impressive out-put from the United bench, it might not be too long before we start seeing his name in the starting line-up more regularly.
Whilst comparisons to Cristiano Ronaldo are certainly premature, Alejandro Garnacho finds himself in an awfully similar position to the 5-time Champions League winner when he was 18. Garnacho clearly has the talent, it appears Ten Hag will give him the opportunities and now it’s time to see just how far he can go.
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