The more minutes Alejandro Garnacho gets under his belt, his popularity level at Manchester United continues to grow.
Just a week after scoring the first senior goal of his career, netting the winner to seal United's 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League, he stepped off the bench and played a key role to ensure the Reds booked their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, just when they needed a sprinkling of magic. He provided the assists for the Reds' third and fourth goals, ensuring they beat Aston Villa 4-2 at the end of an action-packed second half at Old Trafford.
While his assist for Bruno Fernandes to make it 3-2 was all about his anticipation and interception of goalkeeper Robin Olsen's misplaced pass, his second, which found Scott McTominay inside the penalty area, was as a result of his quality.
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The 18-year-old, after being overlooked at the start of the season, is now starting to show why just so many United fans had been calling for him to get a chance. He was the star of the Under-18s' FA Youth Cup-winning squad last season and now he is threatening to become the breakout star in United's first-team squad this season.
His fearless attitude and desire to get on the ball and make things happen enables him to get bums off seats and generate cries of 'Go on, son', as he runs at opposition defenders. He is a flair player, capable of bringing the tricks and the flicks, meaning United's supporters are only going to fall in love.
His cameo against Villa on Thursday night, which brought his run of two successive starts to an end, has created a selection headache for Erik ten Hag ahead of Sunday's trip to the capital to face Fulham. It is United's last game before the World Cup and they will be determined to sign off with a victory, especially after losing at Villa last weekend.
With that said, Ten Hag will know the pressure of nailing his team selection on the banks of the Thames. For the first time during his tenure, he rotated his pack heavily in midweek, making seven changes in total. Therefore, it is highly likely that the Reds will have a more familiar look to themselves at Craven Cottage.
Garnacho, though, will be hoping to be part of that familiar look. He has blossomed in recent weeks and will consider himself as being in with a realistic chance of starting for the second Premier League game running.
Against Villa last Sunday, the winger, who has not been included in Argentina's World Cup squad, started on the left, meaning Marcus Rashford was forced to move across to the right. The England international failed to have any kind of impact from that position, and it would be a mistake to repeat that particular experiment again against Fulham.
Rashford, by his own admission, is at his best and offers his biggest threat when playing on the left side. As exciting and as talented as Garnacho is, it would not be in United's best interests to take the former out of his best role at the expense of an 18-year-old, regardless of his talent levels, just to shoehorn him into the team.
Healthy competition for places, of course, is every manager's dream, and Garnacho, with his recent performances, has given Rashford a very good reason to try and maintain his recent run of good form. Ten Hag has shown he is not afraid to make unpopular and brave decisions if certain players are not performing at the level he expects.
Right now, though, Rashford is in excellent form and is one of the very first names on the teamsheet. Garnacho, too, is showing plenty of promise and is certainly worthy of being in the conversation for another starting berth in the capital.
Anthony Martial, however, makes the conundrum that little bit more complicated. He earned his first start since recovering from a back injury against Villa in midweek and scored, and will expect to keep his place through the middle. There have, of course, been occasions when Rashford has played centrally this season.
With that in mind, Ten Hag might consider starting Garnacho on the right of the front-three against Fulham. He is untried in that position, but United need to find out just how influential he could be on that side of the pitch.
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