Man Utd must keep ‘devastating’ ace as Ferdinand reacts to ‘outrageous’ comeback win

Rio Ferdinand has told Manchester United to reject all offers for Alejandro Garnacho as interest in the winger ramps up ahead of the summer transfer window.

Garnacho is one of the most exciting young players in the Man Utd squad, having worked his way up through the club’s U18 and U21 sides before making his senior debut in April 2022. He idolises Cristiano Ronaldo and dreams of becoming United’s most important player in the coming years.

But Garnacho’s future at Old Trafford became uncertain when Ruben Amorim was named their new head coach in November.

While Garnacho ideally likes to play at left wing, Amorim uses No 10s and wing-backs instead.

The Argentine international is being tracked by several clubs in the Premier League and beyond in case he is made available for transfer this summer, with Chelsea among them.

But United hero Ferdinand has urged Sir Jim Ratcliffe to ‘stick with’ Garnacho and place his trust in him.

Ferdinand was left impressed by the 20-year-old’s performance during the incredible 5-4 victory over Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday night.

Garnacho’s best moment came in the 10th minute when he took a great touch from a Bruno Fernandes pass to breeze past two players before setting up Manuel Ugarte for a simple finish.

When asked about Garnacho on TNT Sports, Ferdinand said: “When there’s space to run into, Alejandro Garnacho can be a real devastating threat.

“Yes, he needs to work on that end product but he’s still a young and improving player so that will come.

“Stick with him. I believe Manchester United should stick with him.”

It was an unbelievable game as United went 2-0 up in the first half, only for Lyon to drag themselves level after the break.

Lyon went down to 10 men late in the 90 minutes but rallied to go 4-2 up in extra time.

Amorim’s side showed terrific spirit though as Bruno Fernandes netted a penalty to begin their comeback, which was completed by Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire in the last minute.

On the game, Ferdinand added: “I’ve never seen anything like that as a spectator.

“It was an amazing thing. We saw so many fans leaving when it was 4-2 and you thought that was over.

“I said on commentary it would take more than a miracle to get back into it and now I’m actually a believer because that was outrageous.”

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Bayer Leverkusen eyeing Alejandro Garnacho

Returning to Garnacho, Chelsea and Napoli both held talks for him in January but failed to strike a deal. The two sides remain interested, though the race is getting busier.

TEAMtalk revealed on Thursday that Bayer Leverkusen have joined the hunt, while Atletico Madrid are trying to convince him to head to LaLiga.

Other outlets have claimed that United will sell Garnacho if a £50m bid arrives. But TEAMtalk understands United actually feel £70m is a fair market price.

If other teams start the bidding at around £50m then the Red Devils will do all they can to get that fee closer to their £70m target via add-ons and other clauses.

Garnacho certainly gave a good account of himself against Lyon, though it remains to be seen whether he has done enough to remain part of Amorim’s long-term plans.

Selling the forward would give United much more money to spend this summer as the funds gained would go down as pure profit on their books.

Man Utd news: Star’s ‘dream’; two goalkeepers wanted

Meanwhile, a United forward ‘dreams’ of joining Barcelona in the summer, it has been claimed.

Amorim is on the hunt for a new goalkeeper as he does not fully trust Andre Onana behind the scenes.

There are thought to be four keepers on United’s shortlist as they eye two signings in the position this summer.

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