Manchester United
Premier League • England
Amorim told he’s wasting ‘raw talent’ Man Utd star, with positional change suggested
A Manchester City legend has tipped Alejandro Garnacho to have a ‘bright future’ at Manchester United, though new boss Ruben Amorim has been told his first usage of the Argentine was a mistake.
The Amorim era began with a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town despite Marcus Rashford putting Man Utd in front with less than two minutes on the clock. Amorim wasted no time in deploying the customary 3-4-3 formation that helped deliver two Primeira Liga titles at former club Sporting CP.
Diogo Dalot started at left wing-back, with Amad Diallo – usually an out-and-out winger – getting the nod at right wing-back.
Rashford was selected to lead the line, with Bruno Fernandes and Garnacho occupying the dual No 10 roles behind the striker.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live post-match, pundit Robbie Savage cast doubt on Garnacho’s suitability to the No 10 role. Instead, Savage believes Amorim will only see the spectacular best of the Argentine if positioned as one of the wing-backs, just like Amad was.
“I don’t think Ruben Amorim’s system suits Alejandro Garnacho,” said Savage. “He was used as one of the number tens. I think he is better as one of the wing-backs.”
Yet despite Savage’s concerns, Man City legend, Sergio Aguero, is confident Garnacho will make a major impact at Old Trafford in the months and years to come.
Garnacho scored the third goal in United’s 3-0 victory over Leicester City on November 10 and proceeded to celebrate in curiously muted fashion.
Captain Bruno Fernandes later offered an explanation, revealing Garnacho chose to remain reserved after believing he’d lost the faith from sections of United’s fanbase.
The winger had previously come in for criticism for his inconsistent displays earlier in the campaign. Not helping the matter were comments made by club legend Roy Keane who urged Garnacho to “get a different job” if he’s overly concerned about receiving criticism.
But in quotes carried by Manchester Evening News, Aguero backed his fellow Argentine to prove the doubters wrong in emphatic fashion.
“Sometimes, people forget how young Alejandro is,” began Aguero. “His raw talent got him to the Premier League at a young age, and he’s proven his worth already.
“I’ve seen many of his teammates leaning in to help him develop as a pro player, and that’s massive. If he has that type of mentorship, I’m sure there’s a bright future ahead of him.”
Garnacho is United’s top scorer across all competitions this season with seven goals. His four assists bring his goal contributions tally to 11 – a more than adequate return for a player we must remember is still only 20 years of age.
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