Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Victor

Cristiano Ronaldo gifted Alejandro Garnacho match ball after he scored hat-trick for Man Utd

Manchester United hat-trick hero Cristiano Ronaldo handed the match ball to youngster Alejandro Garnacho after helping Ralf Rangnick's team down Norwich City in the Premier League.

Ronaldo's goals helped Rangnick's side secure an unconvincing victory, with goals from Kieran Dowell and Teemu Pukki bringing the Premier League's bottom side back from 2-0 down to 2-2 before the veteran's winner. However, with Tottenham and Arsenal both losing, the result lifts United back into the race for Champions League football.

Youngster Garnacho was included in a Premier League matchday squad for the first time, though he remained on the bench as United ground out a win. And, after describing his teammate as the "greatest of all times," the teenager was rewarded by Ronaldo after the game.

Garnacho's first matchday involvement came after he was called up to the senior Argentina squad for the first time in March. He has now trained with Ronaldo and Lionel Messi before making his senior bow.

The 17-year-old has featured for United's under-21s in the Papa John's Trophy, and was joined in the squad for the Norwich game along with fellow academy talent Hannibal. His involvement comes off the back of a starring role in the FA Youth Cup, with Garnacho registering five goals and three assists across five games to help his team reach the final.

He didn't make it onto the pitch, with Rangnick opting to bring on Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford. However, after the game, he could be spotted exchanging words with Ronaldo as the veteran handed over the match ball.

Should Garnacho get a first team chance this season? Have your say in the comments section

Ronaldo was seen speaking to Garnacho as the players left the pitch (PA)

Rangnick spoke glowingly of Garnacho before the game, telling MUTV : "He has been training with us the last two weeks and he is one of the most promising players. He is only 17, but if he keeps his feet on the ground, he will not only be sitting on the bench but will be playing for this club."

Ronaldo's hat-trick was his third for United and his second since returning to the club in August. However, Rangnick warned his squad that they shouldn't need to rely on magic from their top scorer.

"We should not only rely on him," the German told the BBC after the game. "It's still possible [to get top four], the results elsewhere were good, but again it doesn't make sense that we still only look at the other results - we have to make sure we raise our performance and get more physical."

Thanks to Spurs' lunchtime defeat at home to Brighton and Arsenal's loss at Southampton, United are just three points outside the top four with six games to play. However, their next league game is against title-chasing Liverpool and Rangnick admitted the team need to be at their best to stand a chance of victory.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.