Alejandro Garnacho grabbed an assist as Manchester United's U21 side beat Carlisle 2-1 in the Papa John's Trophy in an impressive performance to give fans a glimpse of the future. Around 450 United fans made the trip to Brunton Park to support the youngsters who claimed victory through goals from Charlie McNeill and Omari Forson.
However, despite impressive performances across the pitch, it will have been natural for many of those fans to have their attentions drawn to the performance of Garnacho, who is a name that has been recognisable to fans ever since making his first team debut last season against Chelsea.
The Argentine is naturally a left winger and has been named in every matchday squad so far for Erik ten Hag, and having last season been named the club's U18 Player of the Season is one of the shining lights for the club going forward. His assist from the left-wing for McNeill showed the skills which have marked him out as one of the top prospects at the club.
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The Argentine, born in 2004, played in the 1-1 pre season draw with Rayo Vallecano and put in an impressive performance. That performance alongside those of Zidane Iqbal during the tour of the USA will have excited fans and both players were in good form last night.
The pair were allowed by Ten Hag to play with the U21s having been part of the first team setup this season and their experiences against senior pros in the Papa John's Trophy will only provide hope for the future. United's youth manager Travis Binnion also praised Ten Hag for his input in allowing both players time and experience with the U21s and says he has high hopes for their future under the former Ajax boss.
He spoke exclusively to the Mirror after the match and said: But in the bigger picture, Ten Hag’s influence is already being felt. “The manager’s been great,” Binnion explained. “Zidane [Iqbal] and Alejandro [Garnacho] played tonight but they’re with the first-team permanently. Omari [Forson] and Isak [Hansen-Aaroen] have been with them frequently like Kobbie [Mainoo] and Dan [Gore], so most of those boys have experienced first-team training in the last few weeks.
“The manager’s got a track record of putting players in as long as they’re good enough and this football club has, too. The boys have got to continue putting in performances like that, do well against Liverpool on Saturday now. It’s no good just playing well once, we’ve got to put performances together and make sure our development of the individuals keeps continuing and they learn about the game, and tonight’s a step in the right direction.”
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