Alejandro Garnacho was signed in 2020 from Atletico Madrid, the Argentinian international only played for the youth team until he was given his debut in the 21/22 season. He was a key part of the side that won the FA youth cup in May 2022. The forward has impressed massively in his academy days and now that his game is maturing, he may be ready for some first-team football.
Garnacho played 74 minutes in a pre-season friendly vs Rayo Vallecano on the 31st July, his first proper taste of first team football. It’s safe to say that again, he impressed heavily, and seemed to adapt to the game really well. He was arguably a contender for man of the match, further showing how he outperformed his teammates, even those that had featured for the first team before.
Threat With Speed
Whenever Garnacho got onto the ball, the opposition always backed off and the crowd knew that something special was going to happen. He constantly had the spark in the game to create chances and also had a few shots on goal himself.
His pace is a real asset to his game, he’s able to knock the ball past his opponents with ease and get onto the end of it; this is incredibly difficult for opposition fullbacks to defend against as they constantly find themselves on the back foot having to chase him. What’s more impressive is how he combines his speed with his dribbling ability, how he’s able to keep the ball at his feet whilst running at opponents and his ability to dribble quickly.
Further, Garnacho is able to go inside or outside of his opponent. The natural right-footer is able to cut inside from the left wing and pose a goal threat, as well as playing the ball across goal as he did so well in the match against Rayo Vallecano.
He’s also able to take his opponent on around the outside which is slightly unconventional for a right-footed left winger. However, this is very good as it opens up space for the inverted run made by the left-back, or even a run into the half-space channel from a midfielder. This adds a new level of unpredictability to his game which will give fullbacks a horrible time defending against him.
His speed is most lethal when he has his opponent in a stationary position, one vs one against him. His two go-to moves are the knock-on and the double step-over, he executes the two perfectly and his strong acceleration allows him to get past the defender, usually leaving them on the floor. He’s able to knock defenders off balance with ease, due to his quick burst of pace which is unexpected.
For such a young player, he appears to be very physical. His runs not only had pace, but they also had power and strength to them. He’s able to avoid challenges well and constantly puts up a physical battle. However, as he continues to grow, he will bulk up and become even more difficult to play against.
Defensive Work
It’s important for Garnacho’s defensive contributions to the side do not go unnoticed. His positional awareness is very good, which further helps with his pressing game, allowing Erik ten Hag to implement his system properly.
It’s important that United’s wingers press high, close the opposition down, and win the ball high up the pitch. Garnacho’s speed and stamina allows him to put his opposition number under constant pressure, preventing them from playing out from the back with ease, and also causing them to panic on the ball.
It’s also important that they track back to help our fullbacks deal with opposition overloads. United’s last graduate winger, Anthony Elanga, often struggles with tracking back and loses his man often, Garnacho appeared to be much better in that respect.
Verdict
Ultimately, this season will most likely be a year of adapting to men’s football for Garnacho as Erik ten Hag uses him in the first team for cup games. If the forward does impress and Rashford fails to recover this season, he could see himself starting in the league and finding success at a young age.
It will definitely be interesting to see how he adapts to the fast pace of the men’s game and whether he can cope with the physical demands of the Premier League. I do believe that he can make it at Manchester United, and is definitely worth keeping a close eye on this season.
