Alejandro Garnacho's game time for Manchester United in the Europa League shows that Erik ten Hag has put faith in his talented youngsters at the club.
As Garnarcho scored his first goal for the Reds against Real Sociedad, it was symbolic that his idol Cristiano Ronaldo would be the one to provide the assist for him. There was a 19-year age gap between the pair, as Ten Hag showed a balance of youth and experience working in harmony.
United have so far used three U21 players in the Europa League, with Anthony Elanga and Charlie McNeill also featuring alongside Garnacho in Europe this campaign. With a total of 268 minutes played by U21 players across their six group games, Ten Hag has shown more faith in young players than a number of other Premier League managers.
ALSO READ: Manchester United player ratings vs Aston Villa
Of these three, Garnacho played the most, with 181 minutes across four appearances, more than double the total of the other two combined. Elanga managed 80 minutes over two appearances, while McNeill’s seven-minute substitute appearance against Sociedad marked his senior debut for the club, the day before his 19th birthday.
United's youngsters should take encouragement from Ten Hag's comments after the 1-0 victory in Spain, as the Dutchman showed that anybody can work their way into the team's starting XI through their performance in training.
He told the club's in-house media: “If they deserve it, they have to deserve it in training and we give them opportunities, the deserved opportunities, to everyone – also to the young players. We have some young players so they have to fight, we have to see them every day and, when they do, they come in."
READ NEXT:
