NACHO N CHEERS!
Precocious kid has morphed into United saviour
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ERIK TEN HAG reckons the penny has finally dropped with Alejandro Garnacho on what it takes to be a Manchester United superstar.
Liverpool arrive at Old Trafford today boasting their own new breed of starlets who have grabbed the spotlight and are set to be Jurgen Klopp’s legacy gift as he departs Anfield.
But few youngsters in the global game possess the swaggering talent of teenage Argentinian winger Garnacho, who has proved a beacon of hope in a dismal United campaign.
Collision
Garnacho has bagged seven goals, provided three assists and been a potent attacking weapon in a breakthrough season that’s seen him play 37 games as a regular starter.
His stunning overhead kick at Everton in November may yet be Goal of the Season and he’s overtaken Marcus Rashford as United’s poster boy. But Garnacho needed the hard words of Ten Hag and demanding skipper Bruno Fernandes to find the right road after early mistakes put him on a collision course with the United boss and senior stars.
A sloppy attitude, allied to a solo mentality, led to confrontations at the start of last season as Garnacho appeared on the first-team radar.
Now, Ten Hag has acknowledged the South American star – nicked from Atletico Madrid’s academy in a bargain £420,000 deal in 2020 – is maturing into the real deal.
“When you are young, it’s normal,” said Ten Hag.
“Football players have to become an adult very quickly.
“You have to take more responsibility and you have to learn how you do that. That’s a process. Now,
Alejandro is in a good way, he’s going in a very good direction.
“And he knows now what it takes and why it is necessary, why you need that standard to play in a team and to be at a good level.
“You achieve the right levels, you keep the focus and know that it’s not only about you, but about the team and it’s about what you have to contribute to the team.”
Ten Hag has revealed Fernandes has helped Garnacho’s transition from precocious kid to a rising star with unlimited potential – and the youngster has won his captain’s trust.
Ten Hag (left, with Garnacho) added: “For that development, you need a player like Bruno.
“They also need a certain freedom, but with that belongs a certain responsibility.
“You can never separate this because, at the end of the day, it’s about winning football games. To win, you need reliable players and especially the creative ones. So you have to give them the freedom, but they have to take the responsibility and if they make that step, then they are very valuable for a team to be winning.”
Ten Hag believes that returning midfielder Mason Mount has the class and quality to be a key part of United’s future.
The 25-year-old former Chelsea and England star has been frustratingly dogged by injury since his £55million summer move from Stamford Bridge.
Problem
But, after a four month lay-off recovering from a calf problem, Ten Hag is excited about Mount’s imminent return.
“I’m convinced that he will be a key player. He didn’t have the chance to prove this point.
“But he will be a very good player for United.
“It’s been really unfortunate and disappointing for him, but also for us when you have such a class player in the middle and you can’t play him.
“I am sure that when he is fit and playing, he will get into that rhythm.
“And he will contribute to a successful Manchester United, I’m sure.” the right track. And their continuing battle for a top-four place after all that’s been thrown at him proves it.
United face Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool twice in three weeks – in the FA Cup quarter-finals today and the Premier League next month.
Defeat in both could end United’s season and finish Ten Hag as manager, but he is staying positive.
“There’s always noise around Man United, but don’t get distracted by it,” he said.
“It’s about sticking together. Everyone knows why we are in the position where we are and how we can improve it. As a manager I know it’s not only going up. Sometimes you have setbacks.
“But you can always look at the big picture, know the project and the process – and I know when the injuries are back it’s better.
“You could see that when we first had them back, we increased the level of our performances and results went back up.
“And as you can see we are not that far away from the top four, either, so when you have a bit more depth in the squad already you see we should carry more points.
“We have to save the season and we know we have to catch up in the Premier League. Now the only opportunity to win silverware is the FA Cup and we are only three wins away.”