Alejandro Garnacho

Alejandro Garnacho Ferreyra (born 1 July 2004) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Manchester United

Garnacho first turned heads in the FA Youth Cup, scoring a beauty in the semi-final against Wolves to send United to the final and backing that up with two goals in the final to beat Nottingham Forest.  He netted 15 goals in all competitions for Man Utd teams last season, including seven in the aforementioned FA Youth Cup. The Argentine was also named as Man Utd's Young Player of the Year, and picking up the Jimmy Murphy Award like Marcus Rashford, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes before him.

Former Man Utd player Febian Brandy spoke on MUTV about Garnacho and revealed what make him so special. “He’s a full-back’s nightmare. He can go either side, cut inside. He makes it difficult for defenders all game," he said.

“He is a great talent with a very bright future.”

Garnacho made his first-team debut came off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea in late April, which was just reward for his incredible season.

He made his first Premier League start against Aston Villa on November 6 alongside Ronaldo in attack.

As a result, Man Utd are keen to tie him down to a new deal.

Garnacho joined United's youth system from Atlético Madrid in October 2020. He won the FA Youth Cup and the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award in May 2022. The month prior, he had made his first-team debut at the age of 17.

Garnacho initially played youth international football for Spain, the country of his birth, before making his debut for Argentina at under-20 level in 2022. He has been called up to the senior Argentina squad but has yet to make an appearance.

 The start of the 2022–23 Premier League season, he changed his shirt number from 75 to 49. On 4 October, he scored a late winner for United's U21 against Barrow in the 2022–23 EFL Trophy.

Garnacho made his first senior start for United on 27 October, in a 3–0 win over Moldovan team Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Europa League, whereafter he was praised by manager Erik ten Hag for his improvement over the past few weeks, saying that though previously dissatisfied, he was happy with Garnacho's improved attitude and resilience.

 On 3 November, he scored his first senior goal in a Europa League match against Real Sociedad. Garnacho scored his first goal in the Premier League on 13 November, an injury-time winner against Fulham On 14 January 2023 in the Manchester derby, Garnacho set up Marcus Rashford's 82nd minute winner in a 2–1 win against Manchester City.

 On 14 March 2023, Garnacho announced he would be sidelined for several weeks after suffering an ankle ligament injury during a game against Southampton. 

On 28 April 2023, Garnacho signed a new contract extension that will last until 30 June 2028.

Garnacho is eligible to play for his country of birth, Spain, and Argentina, as his mother is Argentine.

 He made three appearances for the Spain under-18 team in 2021.

On 7 March 2022, Garnacho was called up to the senior Argentina team as part of an initial 44-man squad for their two World Cup qualifiers that month.

 He made it to the final 33-man squad for the fixtures, but did not make an appearance in either game.

Garnacho made his debut for the Argentina under-20 side on 26 March 2022, when he started in a friendly match against the United States. He scored four goals in four appearances for the under-20 team at the 2022 Maurice Revello Tournament winning the Revelation Player and Goal of the Tournament awards.

In March 2023, he was called up once again to the senior Argentina team for two friendly matches against Panama and Curaçao,but had to withdraw from the squad after suffering an ankle injury.

How good is Alejandro Garnacho?

Any player compared to Ronaldo should give some indication of his potential level of talent, though these comparisons can also be attributed to the fact he plays with Man Utd and his position.

Also, the young player has been known to copy Ronaldo's famed celebration.

 Ronaldo in his early days, Garnacho has pace and power which allow him to terrify defenders, and at just 17-years-old, his physicality will only progress.

Born in Spain, Garnacho is also eligible to play for Argentina due to his mother.

This is Alejandro Garnacho …