Manchester United are famous for giving young players a chance and the academy conveyor belt has consistently produced world-class talent over the years.
The Red Devils have the longest record of having an academy graduate on the bench or playing XI since the last 85 years.
Famous names include those of Duncan Edwards and Bobby Charlton when Sir Matt Busby was in charge of members of the Class of ’92 under Sir Alex Ferguson such as Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and David Beckham.
United’s academy stars
Current first-team stars Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay have both come through the academy and know what it means to play for the club.
And another star looking to consolidate his status as a member of the first team is Alejandro Garnacho. The Argentine recently made his full debut for the club in the Europa League against Sheriff Tiraspol.
I don’t know if it’s real or if I’m dreaming pic.twitter.com/3GR80nObqU
– Alejandro Garnacho (@agarnacho7) October 27, 2022
The 18-year-old won seven duels, had three successful dribbles and earned four fouls. He was also selected as man of the match by his club.
His display was seen by members of his family and a member of his inner circle, even going so far as to thank the trainer for trusting the young man.
But fans have been clamoring for the youngster’s inclusion for some time after witnessing his heroism last season when United clinched the FA Youth Cup.
But Ten Hag had so far resisted the temptation and was asked about it after the match. “He deserved his chance but there is still a lot of room for improvement,” said the United manager.
“Especially in the defense part, in the pressure part, in the counter-press, in the defensive transition.
“I was not happy with him (in the first weeks of the season). The last few weeks I was happy with him, better attitude, more resilience.”
And that begged the question, what could the Argentina Under-20 international have done to make the boss unhappy?
According to The Athletic, “Ten Hag said he needed to change something about his behavior. One element of this in the past was the teenager walking out of training with his laces untied. This was considered to be too lax an attitude for serious work and should be corrected.
Garnacho took the right direction
“All of this has to be part of the process to unleash the potential of any star. His confidence is what makes Garnacho a special talent. He just needs to be adjusted the right way,” the report mentions.
And the academy product seems to be making progress and with Jadon Sancho and Antony unavailable for the must-see clash against Real Sociedad, there is a chance that fans could see the highly talented star again.
His contract is due to expire next summer and initial talks have already taken place and although nothing has been signed so far, sources have indicated that the “player admits there aren’t many teams like Manchester United in the sport, and the way he has progressed in the last two years reflects his satisfaction at the club”.
United fans are looking forward to an extended stay and hopefully Garnacho can do special things along the way and become United’s latest academy superstar.
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