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The Evolution of Alejandro Garnacho

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When history will look back on Alejandro Garnacho, the 2023/24 season will always be viewed as the campaign when the Argentine truly made a mark. After all, the teenager has witnessed impressive growth this season, proving that he is more than just the future of Manchester United.

By Kaustubh Pandey

It is fairly easy for Manchester United to get lured into comparisons with a certain Cristiano Ronaldo and despite similarities around how they broke through, Garnacho is becoming a man of his own in 2024. He has gone from being a scrawny teenager who wasn’t effective enough to be a starter to being an often-dominant presence in the wide areas whenever he features for Erik ten Hag’s side.

Still 19, Garnacho may yet not be entirely consistent but the season has seen him mature. He is offering the workrate of someone who wants to establish himself at the club while regularly showing a clean pair of heels to the opposition defenders to portray his impressive technical ability. When Mason Greenwood has essentially been excommunicated, Jadon Sancho has fallen out with the manager, Antony has constantly showed an inability to make an impact for the club and Marcus Rashford has witnessed a blip, the burden has fallen onto the explosive teenager to bear the burden of the club’s attack.

Not just that, Rasmus Højlund has also sometimes faced minor injury issues and Anthony Martial is already ruled out for the season. Garnacho (and Rashford) has, in this time, been United’s most available and most able presence to create and potentially score goals. 

That was seen during United’s dramatic 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup recently. Garnacho played the entirety of the 120 minutes and put in a spectacular show, creating Amad Diallo’s dramatic winner by showing incredible composure in the final third when the clock was ticking down. It was an image that could define his career too as despite being debilitated and having his shorts drenched in the Old Trafford mud, he came up with the goods when it truly mattered.

He created the most number of chances and took the most number of shots, as he covered half the pitch to set up the winner. It was a reflection of how far the teenager has come from last season, when his major contributions had come from the bench. The assist against Manchester City and the vital goal against Fulham is a stark indicator of that.

The teenager’s defensive improvement has been rather major. He seems extremely keen on pressing high up the pitch, winning the ball back and restarting attacks, winning more duels and showcasing the amount of tenacity that would impress Ten Hag.

This season, he has won about 41 percent of all his duels and has won 66.7 percent of all his tackles, while winning a little under five duels per 90 minutes.

This wasn’t the case last season, when the defensive numbers were low and he only usually came on late in games when United needed goals and the opposition was pinned back.

He is involving himself in more duels on the pitch and the numbers from last season show that. It doesn’t just suggest that he’s become much more keen to fight it out when the going gets tough, but also that he is more than just a flair player. He is evolving into a bulldog on the pitch, who comes up with these glints of magic like a vulture snatching away prey.

Those glints of magic have often carried United through at vital points in games. There are tactical and fitness issues at United that need addressing, but Garnacho’s abilities have often made up for those.

For a long while, United weren’t (perhaps still aren’t) focused on controlling possession and they relied on going long from the back due to injuries to their best ball progressors (Luke Shaw and Licha Martínez). This negatively impacted how much ball Garnacho and Rashford could have, as they had to rely on winning second balls before launching attacks (a reason why Garnacho’s defensive numbers have risen).

But Garnacho has made sure that he has taken his chances at important points. His brace against Aston Villa, for example, came when United found themselves 2-0 down at halftime and against an Unai Emery side that was maintaining a reliable higher defensive line. But Garnacho, along with Rashford and Højlund, ripped through the Villa backline constantly, going past defenders and regularly finding teammates in behind. 

It was a performance worth remembering. His overhead kick against Everton will be reminisced for a long, long while. But it is very easy to forget that the performance from United was a lacklustre one and if not for Garnacho’s sparkling strike, things may have been different. It was something that history will look back on when Garnacho potentially achieves greatness.

The Argentine sensation was impressive in the 2-1 win over Chelsea as well, assisting Scott McTominay’s late winner. 

Garnacho played 27 accurate forward zone passes, which was the second best in the entire game.

He also attempted more dribbles than anyone else, being tied with Antony and Cole Palmer at the top to somewhat chisel through a Blues midfield and backline.

Garnacho also grabbed a brace against West Ham in a game that saw the club’s fans savour an iconic picture involving the ex-Atletico Madrid youngster, Højlund and Kobbie Mainoo. The Argentine was perhaps at the centre of it, racking up the highest Expected Assists tally for Ten Hag’s side in what would be seen by neutrals as a dominant performance by United when it was not, as the Hammers had enough chances to potentially get something from the game when it was 1-0.

Thanks to Garnacho and some poor finishing from West Ham, United did get a win. 

The 19-year-old still needs another phase of evolution and it perhaps will come next season. One can’t describe him as a natural creator, as he is still somewhat found wanting when operating against a deeper defensive line. He is more of a volume shooter or someone who relies on volume instead of precision in the final third and he thrives against higher defensive lines or during transitions.

Comparisons with a certain Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are rather accurate because of how they like going past players with a clean pair of heels and constantly attack half spaces once they receive the ball. But the Georgian is arguably much more decisive in the final third and Garnacho’s next phase will be about reaching there and being consistent at that.

Having said that, this season will always be looked back on a phase in Garnacho’s career where he matured not just as a player but as a character as well, where he has been relied more by a manager who trusts him to make an impact in every game. Things will now only get better.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Manchester United game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.

The Evolution of Alejandro Garnacho

When history will look back on Alejandro Garnacho, the 2023/24 season will always be viewed as the campaign when the Argentine truly made a mark. After all, the teenager has witnessed impressive growth this season, proving that he is more than just the future of Manchester United.

By Kaustubh Pandey

It is fairly easy for Manchester United to get lured into comparisons with a certain Cristiano Ronaldo and despite similarities around how they broke through, Garnacho is becoming a man of his own in 2024. He has gone from being a scrawny teenager who wasn’t effective enough to be a starter to being an often-dominant presence in the wide areas whenever he features for Erik ten Hag’s side.

Still 19, Garnacho may yet not be entirely consistent but the season has seen him mature. He is offering the workrate of someone who wants to establish himself at the club while regularly showing a clean pair of heels to the opposition defenders to portray his impressive technical ability. When Mason Greenwood has essentially been excommunicated, Jadon Sancho has fallen out with the manager, Antony has constantly showed an inability to make an impact for the club and Marcus Rashford has witnessed a blip, the burden has fallen onto the explosive teenager to bear the burden of the club’s attack.

Not just that, Rasmus Højlund has also sometimes faced minor injury issues and Anthony Martial is already ruled out for the season. Garnacho (and Rashford) has, in this time, been United’s most available and most able presence to create and potentially score goals. 

That was seen during United’s dramatic 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup recently. Garnacho played the entirety of the 120 minutes and put in a spectacular show, creating Amad Diallo’s dramatic winner by showing incredible composure in the final third when the clock was ticking down. It was an image that could define his career too as despite being debilitated and having his shorts drenched in the Old Trafford mud, he came up with the goods when it truly mattered.

He created the most number of chances and took the most number of shots, as he covered half the pitch to set up the winner. It was a reflection of how far the teenager has come from last season, when his major contributions had come from the bench. The assist against Manchester City and the vital goal against Fulham is a stark indicator of that.

The teenager’s defensive improvement has been rather major. He seems extremely keen on pressing high up the pitch, winning the ball back and restarting attacks, winning more duels and showcasing the amount of tenacity that would impress Ten Hag.

This season, he has won about 41 percent of all his duels and has won 66.7 percent of all his tackles, while winning a little under five duels per 90 minutes.

This wasn’t the case last season, when the defensive numbers were low and he only usually came on late in games when United needed goals and the opposition was pinned back.

He is involving himself in more duels on the pitch and the numbers from last season show that. It doesn’t just suggest that he’s become much more keen to fight it out when the going gets tough, but also that he is more than just a flair player. He is evolving into a bulldog on the pitch, who comes up with these glints of magic like a vulture snatching away prey.

Those glints of magic have often carried United through at vital points in games. There are tactical and fitness issues at United that need addressing, but Garnacho’s abilities have often made up for those.

For a long while, United weren’t (perhaps still aren’t) focused on controlling possession and they relied on going long from the back due to injuries to their best ball progressors (Luke Shaw and Licha Martínez). This negatively impacted how much ball Garnacho and Rashford could have, as they had to rely on winning second balls before launching attacks (a reason why Garnacho’s defensive numbers have risen).

But Garnacho has made sure that he has taken his chances at important points. His brace against Aston Villa, for example, came when United found themselves 2-0 down at halftime and against an Unai Emery side that was maintaining a reliable higher defensive line. But Garnacho, along with Rashford and Højlund, ripped through the Villa backline constantly, going past defenders and regularly finding teammates in behind. 

It was a performance worth remembering. His overhead kick against Everton will be reminisced for a long, long while. But it is very easy to forget that the performance from United was a lacklustre one and if not for Garnacho’s sparkling strike, things may have been different. It was something that history will look back on when Garnacho potentially achieves greatness.

The Argentine sensation was impressive in the 2-1 win over Chelsea as well, assisting Scott McTominay’s late winner. 

Garnacho played 27 accurate forward zone passes, which was the second best in the entire game.

He also attempted more dribbles than anyone else, being tied with Antony and Cole Palmer at the top to somewhat chisel through a Blues midfield and backline.

Garnacho also grabbed a brace against West Ham in a game that saw the club’s fans savour an iconic picture involving the ex-Atletico Madrid youngster, Højlund and Kobbie Mainoo. The Argentine was perhaps at the centre of it, racking up the highest Expected Assists tally for Ten Hag’s side in what would be seen by neutrals as a dominant performance by United when it was not, as the Hammers had enough chances to potentially get something from the game when it was 1-0.

Thanks to Garnacho and some poor finishing from West Ham, United did get a win. 

The 19-year-old still needs another phase of evolution and it perhaps will come next season. One can’t describe him as a natural creator, as he is still somewhat found wanting when operating against a deeper defensive line. He is more of a volume shooter or someone who relies on volume instead of precision in the final third and he thrives against higher defensive lines or during transitions.

Comparisons with a certain Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are rather accurate because of how they like going past players with a clean pair of heels and constantly attack half spaces once they receive the ball. But the Georgian is arguably much more decisive in the final third and Garnacho’s next phase will be about reaching there and being consistent at that.

Having said that, this season will always be looked back on a phase in Garnacho’s career where he matured not just as a player but as a character as well, where he has been relied more by a manager who trusts him to make an impact in every game. Things will now only get better.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every Manchester United game on FotMob – with deep stats, xG, and players ratings. Download the free app here.