Alejandro Garnacho underlined his credentials for another chance in the Manchester United first-team, scoring for the Under-23s against Liverpool on Sunday.
The 17-year-old was handed his maiden appearance in senior football by Ralf Rangnick earlier this week, coming off the bench during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea at Old Trafford. Garnacho came on in the final minute of injury time, replacing fellow youngster Anthony Elanaga for the final moments.
“Incredible moment making my debut at 17 years old for Manchester United in the Premier League at the Theatre of Dreams,” he posted on social media. “I can’t put into words what I’m feeling right now, I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I was 4 years old.
“I would like to thank everyone at the club for giving me this opportunity, my family for always being there for me, my friends and all the fans for their constant support. The hard work continues in order to have more nights like these. And remember guys, Dreams really do come true.”
And although he didn’t have time to impact the game, his Premier League bow helped put a stamp on his impressive progression since arriving at the club in the summer of 2020. Signed from Atletico Madrid after turning 16, the forward has played a starring role for the development side at Carrignton, helping the Under-18 side to the FA Youth Cup final.
In total, Garnacho has five goals and three assists in the competition, scoring in all but one round to set up a final with Nottingham Forest later this month. He has also featured for the under-21s in the Papa John’s Trophy and has recently joined senior matchday squads along with academy talents Hannibal Mejbri and Alvaro Fernandez.
And after getting his first taste of senior football, it was back to the bread and butter of the Premier League 2 and found the net in the 3-1 defeat which ended their season in that competition. Interim boss Ralf Rangnick has shown he is not afraid to promote youngsters during his time in charge and has heaped praise on Garnacho in recent weeks.
“[Garnacho] has been training with us [the first team] for the last two weeks and I know that he is one of the most promising players,” he explained, after including him in the squad against Norwich.
“[He is] still only 17, but a player that hopefully if he keeps his feet on the ground. If he keeps trying to get better every day, then he will not only be sitting on the bench but there is every chance he will be playing for this club."
With United in the midst of an injury crisis there could yet be more opportunities for the talented Argentine, although appearing against Brentford on Monday night now looks unlikely.
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But regardless of whether he gets another minute for the senior side this term, should he line-up against Forest in the Youth Cup final, he will join an exclusive club filled with Red Devils legends.
Only Duncan Edwards, George Best, Norman Whiteside and Ryan Giggs have played for the first-team before appearing in an FA Youth Cup final, with the previous quintet all going on to become stars in the senior setup.
He is also one of the few players in world football who have had the privilege of playing alongside the two greatest icons of their generation in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Having earned his first call-up to the Argentina national team, he was able to rub shoulders with his idol Messi, before labelling his club team-mate as the ‘greatest of all time’ after he was gifted the 37-year-old’s matchball following his hat-trick vs Norwich.
