“What a player” – Alejandro Garnacho praises Man United teammate after under-the-radar performance vs Aston Villa

Alejandro Garnacho scored twice as Manchester United completed a dramatic second-half comeback against Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

The Argentine winger was stationed on the right flank at Old Trafford rather than the left, with Marcus Rashford returning to the starting lineup.

And it was the wing pairing who sparked United into action after combining for the second time, after an initial disallowed goal, to give The Reds a goal early in the second half after going 2-0 down before half-time.

Garnacho would go on to score a second to give Erik ten Hag’s side an equaliser shortly before Rasmus Hojlund broke his Premier League goalscoring duck in spectacular fashion with a winning goal in front of the Stretford End.

However, amidst all of the chaos, one United player went about their work smartly and showed maturity beyond their years. Kobbie Mainoo was crucial at the base of midfield.

The 18-year-old midfielder was not only impressive in possession of the ball but also when United were pressing and looking to keep pressure on Villa’s defence.

He won seven out of ten duels and was dominant in the middle against the most in-form team in the Premier League.

The comeback craze made his performance go slightly under the radar, but fellow United academy graduate Garnacho made sure to give his teammate some well-deserved praise.

Replying to Mainoo’s Instagram story after the game, Garnacho simply wrote: “What a player,” with the midfielder re-posting the winger’s message.

United are now sixth in the table after the 3-2 win but cannot get ahead of themselves after the impressive performance. Too many times, it seemed like they would take steps forward before slipping.

“I don’t want to speak about it,” replied captain Bruno Fernandes when asked how United can build on the result.

“We had too many post-match interviews where we spoke about this. We will go game by game.”