Erik ten Hag demands more from Man United fan-favourite as Sofyan Amrabat praises ‘one of the best’ teammate

Erik ten Hag is demanding more from Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho after he scored during the 3-0 win against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.

It was Garnacho’s first start since the second game of the season. He was an unused substitute against Burnley at Turf Moor but was gifted the opportunity to start on Tuesday evening.

The talented Argentine has been criticised for his performances when he does start games for United, despite being a massive game-changer from the bench, but it did not take him long to make his mark on this game.

After ghosting into the box, the 18-year-old connected well with Diogo Dalot’s cut-back cross and scored the opening goal. He followed up with a strong overall performance with some smart decisions on the ball mixed with his direct play.

Ten Hag was complimentary of his talented winger, who he says everyone likes, but also has demanded more from him as he looks to squeeze the most out of the supremely exciting player.

“You have seen at the start of the season we played him and then his contribution was not good enough,” the Dutchman said.

“He has to learn when he does his job in defending he will always have his moment and he will always be decisive because he has great qualities.

“As well, it’s not only off the ball. But I want to see like today, he is entering the box in the right spot to finish.

“Everyone likes him, the fans like him, the team likes him, I like him but we also have to demand from him and push him because he can act on a very high level. He has to show it every day.”

Meanwhile, Soyfan Amrabat had his full United debut after coming off the bench against Burnley and impressed. In the first half, he played as an inverted left-back and completed the most passes in the game (65) and also won all four of his duels.

The Moroccon international then moved into midfield in the second half until he was replaced on the 60-minute mark and was stationed alongside Casemiro, who scored and assisted in the game.

Ten Hag has previously explained that Amrabat can be the player to help the Brazilian in the engine room and the 27-year-old waxed lyrical about his new teammate following the cup victory for United.

“A lot,” replied Sofyan when asked how he enjoyed playing alongside the former Real Madrid midfielder in the second half. “It’s clear that Casemiro is a fantastic player. He’s one of the best midfielders in his position so it’s nice to play next to him.”

The loanee from Fiorentina continued: “But I think we have a lot of quality, a lot of other good midfielders, so we have a strong team. I hope now, with everyone slowly getting fit and coming back, that we can only get better and better.”