Manchester United prospect Alejandro Garnacho is revelling in his first senior call-up to the Argentina squad as he trains alongside superstar compatriot Lionel Messi for the first time.
Garnacho is just 17 years old and is yet to make his senior debut for United, instead spending the season with the Under-18s and Under-23s. However, he has been tipped for a bright future and Argentina are eager to beat Spain to securing his international allegiance.
The winger was born in Madrid and has represented Spain at youth level but Lionel Scaloni handed him a spot in his senior squad earlier in March. The Argentina manager is keen to give new faces an opportunity in World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela on Friday and Ecuador next Wednesday as his side have already booked their spot in Qatar.
Garnacho has described his call-up as a "dream" as it has presented him with the chance to learn from his "idol" Messi, who captains the national team. The teenager took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a picture of him posing next to the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, writing: "Dreams really do come true. Idol..." Adding to his caption, Garnacho proved he shares the opinion of many fans that the Paris Saint-Germain forward is the greatest footballer of all time by posting the goat emoji as well as a heart and a crown.
This also appears to show the youngster rates his compatriot over club colleague Cristiano Ronaldo, who has long been viewed as Messi's most fierce rival at the pinnacle of European football. Garnacho will hope to share the pitch with Messi at some stage during the international break as he aims to "learn loads" from a new group of teammates. "It's always been a dream of mine to be playing in the same team alongside star players of that kind of level," he told Manchester United's official website.
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"And I'm going to learn loads from them, grab the opportunity and improve as a player. This [call-up] will get people talking about me but I'm still young and it's the beginning of my career and I'm just focused on playing football and on improving."
Garnacho also sent his thanks to the academy coaches who have aided his development this season, helping him score 11 goals and grab six assists in 28 appearances in all competitions. The youngster will hope the momentum of his first senior international call-up can propel him into the first-team spotlight at Old Trafford.
