Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni is 'excited' to have Alejandro Garnacho at his disposal but urged against overusing the 18-year-old.
Manchester United star Garnacho made his national team debut on Thursday afternoon, coming off the bench in the 76th-minute as his side beat Australia 2-0. The world champions were two goals up by that point, thanks to Lionel Messi and German Pezzella.
Garnacho's first action in the blue and white of Argentina was to play the ball to Messi, the man he grew up idolising, but the teenager didn't get much chance to impress in a game that was already winding down in a hot and humid Beijing.
Nevertheless, it was a memorable moment for the Reds winger and the first of what will likely be many appearances for his nation, with Scaloni excited to see the teenager more.
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“We have to go step by step. We gave him the minutes to find his feet, we don’t have to rush.
“There are players of high level who did not play today but we are excited like the rest of the team. The idea is to give minutes to all the players so that they can start to adapt without forgetting those who are already in the team.
“We are excited with Garnacho and with all of the rest.”
Argentina have a second friendly with Indonesia on Monday, and Scaloni will be without Messi, Ángel Di María and Nicolás Otamendi who will all be allowed to go home for the summer. And the World Cup-winning boss admitted he will make a number of changes for the game, suggesting a first start for Garnacho could be on the cards.
“We believe it is fair [to rest the trio]. It’s my decision, they did not ask me to do it. It’s fair that they rest, that they go to their families. They deserve it more than anyone else.
“Logically, everyone would like to go home but none of the others asked me, so it means that they are fine here. That’s good.
“We plan to make all the changes [vs Indonesia] and let the guys play because they deserve it and we need to keep adding people."
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