In the goalless Manchester Derby, the talking points were few and far between, however, one Manchester United player was described as a ‘shining light’ that needs to develop in one area.
With a 0-0 stalemate to draw Sunday to a close, neither Manchester club will be happy to have picked up a point a piece, however, it was the hosts, Manchester United, who would have more positives to take from the game.
The derby didn’t bring the usual excitement and unpredictability that we have been spoilt with in this fixtures recent history, but it will give Ruben Amorim hope that his system will work in the future.
This result hasn’t changed a whole lot regarding the Premier League table, as it has kept Manchester City in fifth, with United still 13th, but now seven points adrift of the top half of the table.
With this being said, a lot of people affiliated with The Red Devils would agree that their main focus now is trying to win the Europa League, whilst trying to further implement Amorim’s tactics.
United winger is splitting opinions
One player who hasn’t been his best self under Amorim is 20-year-old winger Alejandro Garnacho, who has been splitting opinions since the derby as to whether he played well or not.
The Argentine hasn’t seen his career take off in the manner many expected it to, despite scoring the opener against City in last season’s FA Cup final win.
He has only racked up four goals in 29 league appearances this season and has scored just once in his last 27 games in all competitions.
Whilst Garnacho has been described by some as an ‘intensely furiating player‘, one pundit on Match Of The Day 2 had a lot of time for the youngster’s performance.
Troy Deeney sings Garnacho praise
When analysing the game, Troy Deeney spent a few minutes looking over Garnacho’s performance, discussing all the elements that he liked and which areas he needs to improve.
Deeney claimed that Garnacho was ‘the only shining light‘ in a ‘bad game of football’, and proceeded to highlight all of the chances in which the Argentine was involved in.
The ex-Watford striker really enjoyed Garnacho’s ‘willingness to run in behind’ the City backline, and his determination to make things happen in the final third, however, this couldn’t be turned into goals.
Deeney made it very clear what he thinks the United winger needs to improve on next, as the 20-year-old’s end product has been questioned heavily as of late.
Despite leading the charge for United on numerous occasions yesterday, Garnacho wasn’t able to find the right ball, or acquire the right finish to give his side the edge. This led to many frustrating moments for The Reds.
With ‘more work on the training pitch’ and more confidence, Deeney thinks that the United attack can improve their goalscoring woes, with ‘shining light’ Garnacho being a massive part of this.
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