Liverpool legend Javier Mascherano had a significant say in Alejandro Garnacho's international future as the Manchester United man chose Argentina over Spain.
The 18-year-old made his first United start in the Red Devils' 3-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol last Thursday, with Garnacho lining up on the left side of a front three alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Antony. Goals from Diogo Dalot, Marcus Rashford and Ronaldo earned the Red Devils a crucial victory in the Europa League to keep the pressure on Real Sociedad at the top of the group.
Although he didn't provide a goal or an assist, Garnacho's full debut was one to remember as he impressed throughout, with his pace and trickery causing the Sherriff defence all kinds of problems. Garnacho is seen as one of United's next big talents, and though he is still a teenager, the forward has had to make some big decisions already in his career - including which team to represent internationally.
Despite being born in Spain, Garnacho decided to play for Argentina as he had heritage from the nation on his mum's side. He got his first call-up for Argentina last season and, although he didn't play at senior level, he earned his debut for the Under-20s, scoring four goals in four appearances.
United head of academy Nick Cox revealed that Mascherano played a major role in his decision to play for Argentina. "Before he (Garnacho) made his final decision, there was a conversation between myself, Darren Fletcher, Javier Mascherano (Argentina's under-20 head coach) and other representatives from Argentina," Cox revealed, via The Athletic.
"We're saying, 'He's a really young man. We'd really love to know your plans'. They are saying, 'This is what we've got in store, this is how we think it pans out for him'. It was a really nice call actually."
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Garnacho received a lot of praise for his performance in the Red Devils' win over Sheriff, although former United coach Neil Wood has questioned Erik ten Hag's decision to throw Garnacho into the first-team fold. He had made four first-team appearances following his debut against Chelsea in April, where he came on as a late substitute.
Wood, who left his role as United Under-23 manager to become Salford City boss this summer, told The Athletic : "I get that fans like to see young players thrown in but I don’t know if throwing him into the first team is the best thing to do. The standards are so high, you can’t be expected to turn it on immediately at Old Trafford, but expectations are high for young players. Too much too soon can damage a player’s development."
Wood's comments came after he outlined the talent Garnacho possesses and the next steps he feels he must take in his development. He said: "He’s got good attacking flair and there’s real potential there. We saw glimpses in the youth cup last season. His next challenge was to do that in the under-19s Champions League against Europe’s best, but the team aren’t in that. He had a little bit of that last season but he was in and out of the team.
