- 21 hours ago
The secret behind Garnacho’s rise to Man Utd superstardom
FT Desk
- 22 Nov 2022 08:33 GMT
- 4 min read
Alejandro Garnacho is the man of the moment in Manchester right now.
The teenage winger has been the breakout star in the Premier League over the past month following a string of brilliant performances for Man Utd.
He scored his first senior Man Utd goal on November 3 with the winner against Real Sociedad in the Europa League in the Basque Country. This made him the youngest foreign player to ever score for Man Utd in European competition.
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Then, days later, he delivered two assists as Man Utd beat Aston Villa 4-2 in the EFL Cup. This made him the youngest player to have two assists in a match for Man Utd.
And he capped it all off at Craven Cottage 10 days ago with his first ever Premier League winner, clinching a crucial three points against Fulham.
Garnacho has been described as a pure natural talent, who was born with a gift.
But the 18-year-old did not make it to the top on talent alone.
Indeed, Garnacho has explained how hard he worked – and still does – on harnessing his ability.
What did Garnacho say?
“At home I always study the full-backs and during the game itself; during the time I’m sitting on the bench,” Garnacho told ManUtd.com.
“So I can then go on and know where and how I need to be looking to go past them.
“I analyse games and also opponents when I’m about to come up against them, so that I’ve got some background on each player to be ready for the game.”
Garnacho plays on the left wing and likes to cut inside onto his natural right-foot.
However, he is also very strong on his left foot and both of his goals for Man Utd have come with his left.
“I’ve always liked to play out wide on the left, as a right-footed player able to cut inside,” he explained.
“To be able to play as a right-footed player down the left, you also have to be pretty decent with your weaker foot. From an early age, I’ve always practiced hard using both feet, because that makes you into a much better player and so nowadays I can play with both feet – not to perfection but to a good standard.
“Thankfully I was able to score those two goals with my other foot without too much difficulty.”
Big things are expected of Garnacho and – despite reports of a bad attitude - if he continues to work as hard as he is at improving, then the sky really is the limit for the Argentine winger.
