Manchester United told young star has ‘all the qualities’ to become key player for Erik ten Hag

Alejandro Garnacho broke into the Manchester United first-team last season under Erik ten Hag and will be aiming for more next term.

The talented Argentine was gifted his debut at Old Trafford at the tail-end of the 2021/22 campaign under Ralf Rangnick due to excellent performances in the FA Youth Cup that United would go onto win and Garnacho would end as top goalscorer.

However, it wasn’t until the Dutchman came in that the teenager became a viable first-team option on a regular basis.

Garnacho played 34 times for The Reds last term and scored five goals and assisted as many in what was a successful debut campaign for the teenager.

In fact, the 18-year-old became Ten Hag’s secret weapon off the bench to great effect. He scored a late-winner against Fulham at Craven Cottage after being introduced in the 72nd minute and also assisted Marcus Rashford’s winning goal against Manchester City at Old Trafford after coming on around the same time.

His electric pace and unpredictability was a thorn in the side of many teams in the closing exchanges of games and his injury in April led to United ending games poorly. Ten Hag’s side would score only two second-half goals in the eight Premier League fixtures he was absent for.

Yet, the youngster will be hoping to prove himself from the beginning of matches. He started just 11 times last season and rarely looked as impressive as when he’d be coming off the bench.

That is, of course, natural for such a young talent. But the winger will certainly be aiming to make major impacts as a starting player in Ten Hag’s team in the coming season.

Louis Saha, who spent four years at Old Trafford between 2004 and 2008, has been vocal in his support of Garnacho’s qualities. Although, the former United striker has also stressed that there is still much to learn for the 18-year-old.

“Alejandro Garnacho’s goal will be to start more games next season and eventually become one of the first names on the team sheet,” Saha told Betway. “He has all the qualities to do it, but he needs to understand that he won’t play every weekend, even Cristiano Ronaldo was on the bench sometimes.

“Garnacho still has time to learn and work hard, especially in his position on the wing, it’s not easy. I’m sure he’s wanting to double his starting games from this season. It’s very important for Manchester United to get a solid striker upfront so he can support Garnacho.”

And that’s exactly what United are attempting to do. They are in the market for a no.9 and have agreed personal terms with Rasmus Hojlund. Ten Hag has also been playing Jadon Sancho as a false-nine during pre-season and likes what he has seen so far but there is still a need to bring in a centre-forward at Old Trafford.