Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho is in the perfect place to develop his game, despite missing out on the Argentina World Cup squad, according to Louis Saha.
Garnacho has enjoyed some regular minutes for United recently and picked up two assists in their 4-2 win over Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night. The 18-year-old winger is living the dream of playing alongside his boyhood hero Cristiano Ronaldo and should be involved in United’s trip to Fulham on Sunday.
That game at Craven Cottage will be his last for five weeks, however, after the youngster was not named in Lionel Scaloni’s 26-man squad for the Qatar World Cup. Spain-born Garnacho has caps for Argentina under-20s and was in Scaloni’s long list for the tournament before being cut.
Competition is fierce in the Argentina squad, which includes Angel Di Maria, Paulo Dybala, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez and Lionel Messi. Saha believes that Garnacho needs to use the snub as motivation to kick on with United and build on his recent performances.
“It’s not about trying to move away from United now,” the former United striker told Paddy Power. “He’s settling in well, and Erik ten Hag will have a vision for his development in his head. Mentally, physically and technically, his development will be taking place and that’s the manager's job.
“He’s a kid with tremendous talent and he’s got everything set to have a great career at United. He has strength, confidence and his youth makes it very hard to defend against him. He has a lot of quality and I'm excited for him.
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“He's at a club where he can improve with the team, and he can be the solution to certain situations. He must grasp this opportunity and do the best he can. He needs to forget about all the talk around him and his attitude and just focus on improving.”
Garnacho was given his full senior debut against Sheriff before netting his first goal for the club against Real Sociedad in the Europa League. But his performances on the pitch have been undermined slightly by his unprofessionalism off it, with reports revealing he’d been late for pre-season training on two occasions.
"He still has things to learn but quite obviously we are happy with his development and he can contribute to the team,” Erik ten Hag said after the Aston Villa win.
"It depends on his approach, his attitude. When he keeps working then yes, it is possible [for him to play more]. He wants to improve every day. He has to do the right things in his lifestyle. He has the capability."
