Alejandro Garnacho scored Man United’s first goal in the FA Cup final at Wembley to take his season total of goals scored to ten.
Alejandro Garnacho ended the season with 10 goals. (Image: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images.)
Alejandro Garnacho’s first goal in Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday at Wembley was a turning point in his developing career.
Leveraging a defensive blunder, the 19-year-old burst through to net his tenth goal of the year. As a result, he ended the campaign with twice as many goals as he had scored in 2022–2023—his first full season as a regular for United.
Over the past 12 months, the Argentine has solidified his place in Erik ten Hag’s lineups at Old Trafford. His victory over City on Saturday was his 39th straight start across all competitions. For a player who won’t turn 20 until July 1st, that is an incredible accomplishment.
Ten Hag introduced Garnacho to the first team more often in 2022–2023; as a result, he made 34 appearances across all competitions. But a lot of those were through the bench.
He finished that campaign with four assists and five goals. All four of those assists and three of those goals came after he came off the bench and was expected to have a good effect.
Garnacho was beginning to outgrow the role of an impact substitute, so Ten Hag was under increasing pressure to establish himself as a regular starter. Near the end of the campaign, the Dutchman threw down the gauntlet to the young player.
Ten Hag said the following following May 2023, following United’s 2-0 victory over Wolves, following Garnacho’s goal off the bench: “Hopefully he can progress so quickly he can compete for a starting XI position because that is his next challenge.” He is demonstrating certain things when you score some goals—Fulham, the assist against City, and now the second goal.
Additionally, he occasionally lacks pressing and defensive transition. When you are about to take a step or hold the ball, he needs to make a decision. However, as you can see, he is brave and incredibly talented.”
The young player lost his starting spot in the Premier League after starting United’s first two games this season, and he did not return to the starting lineup until November 4, when United defeated Fulham 1-0. In the league, that was the first of 28 consecutive starts.
Alejandro Garnacho enjoyed an excellent 2023/24 campaign. (Image: Alex Pantling/Getty Images.)
At first, the young player was occupying the left side of the field and rising above Marcus Rashford in the hierarchy. On Boxing Day, Ten Hag decided to switch him to the right wing, where Garnacho scored two goals in the 3-2 victory over Aston Villa.
Garnacho began to alternate between the left and the right, frequently giving opposition full-backs problems. Due to Amad’s run of three straight starts towards the end of the Premier League season, Rashford was able to return to the team and start on the left for the FA Cup final. However, Amad switched back to the right for that match.
Given that United would prefer to hold onto Rashford for the summer, Garnacho might be expected to stick on the right, keeping Antony off the starting lineup. This summer, United intends to bolster their offensive, and Crystal Palace star Over the past few months, Michael Olise has been frequently associated with a move to Old Trafford.
With 10 goals and six assists in just 19 games this season, Olise had a strong campaign that made him a desirable choice. He would, however, move to Old Trafford with the goal of starting every week if United made a move for him this summer.
Garnacho will nevertheless anticipate continuing to start games regularly given his impressive rise this season. He is at the core of United’s future plans and is included in the club’s list of untouchables.
If Garnacho keeps up his magic on the right and Rashford stays, then signing Olise shouldn’t be the top priority. Garnacho has genuinely responded to Ten Hag’s call.
