Bruno Fernandes was the supply line for Alejandro Garnacho on Saturday against Wolves, threading a late ball through to the teenager to mark his return to action in style.
After missing eight weeks through injury, the 18-year-old's return as an 81st-minute substitute received the loudest roar of the day at Old Trafford and the Argentine issued another reminder of his dazzling potential with his cool finish for his fifth goal for United.
But Fernandes' role in Garnacho's development goes well behind those perfect passes to run on to. The club's vice-captain has become something of a mentor to the teenager away from the pitch, offering advice and insight to a player enjoying a breakthrough season while having to adapt to the limelight that comes with playing for United and being called up by Argentina.
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The way Fernandes is trying to guide Garnacho puts his comments after the winger scored his first goal for the club back in November in a different light. Speaking after that goal in the win at Real Sociedad, Fernandes brought Garnacho's issues in pre-season to the fore, saying he "didn't have the best attitude" on tour.
He didn't play a minute of any of United's four friendlies in Thailand and Australia and he was rebuked by Erik ten Hag for being late on a couple of occasions. There was some surprise when Fernandes weighed in and brought the issue back out into the open, but he insists he was just repeating his manager's message and is clearly having an influence on the youngster.
“That message was from the manager, it wasn't from me, I just heard what the manager said," said Fernandes.
"What I have to say to Garnacho, I say to him at the training ground, whenever we are eating, on the training ground, wherever. If he wants to hear, he hears. If not, he doesn't, but I try to help. I think he did an interview talking about me trying to help him a lot of times, and that's what I'm trying to do."
Garnacho might have started on the back foot with Ten Hag, but he's now made 32 appearances despite his injury and Fernandes believes his regular role in the team is evidence he has knuckled down during the season.
"I think if he wasn't doing what he needed to do, he wouldn't be playing," he said. "At the beginning of the season, the manager didn't give him many chances, because he thought that he wasn't being the best, and now he's getting his chances. He's been getting his chances and playing a lot this season because he's training well and doing what he has to do."
There is excitement at Old Trafford about just how good Garnacho, signed from Atletico Madrid for just £420,000 in October 2020, can be.
After his goalscoring cameo against Wolves, Ten Hag spoke about the teenager forcing his way back into the starting XI between now and the end of the season, adding to the 10 starts he has already made.
He signed a new five-year contract last month and Fernandes believes the young winger has to keep pushing himself to realise that potential at United.
"We know Garna can change games, he plays with pace, he can take players one against one, but he's still developing himself, so we don't have to push too much on him, because he's still a young kid," he said.
"He can do great things, but in the future he has to do much better than he is actually doing, because he has the capabilities to be even better than he currently is.
"He's been doing amazingly for the first season he's been playing in the Premier League, with more minutes, with more consistency, he's doing great, but we all know he can do much for us.
"He's still young, and I don't want to give too much compliments, because you know, when you're young, you get too many compliments, you can get a little bit relaxed and everything, because we need this Alejandro coming on and making goals, making assists, getting back to recover balls – everything."
Garnacho's rise has certainly been a rapid one. A year ago he was scoring in the FA Youth Cup final against Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford, having starred in the run to the final.
He was already training regularly with the first team by the end of last season and he made a couple of substitute appearances as the campaign came to a disappointing end.
Fernandes has noticed a development in Garnacho's game for his exposure to a first-team environment, but also said his improvement in terms of mentality had been vital to his improvement this season.
"It is a big difference between playing for the youth side to playing in the Premier League," added Fernandes.
"It is a little bit of everything, you are used to the pace of the youth – you have quick players there also but in the Premier League they are physical, they are quick, they are smart. You play against older players and even if they are not as quick as you they can in moments get your timing.
"So I think he is doing very well and he is training every time with us which makes him be more prepared for the games but mentally he is being much better also and I think he understood what it takes to be a professional player and he is taking that and he is working a lot also in the gym with the coaches so he is getting his rewards."
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