da mrbet： The Argentina international has emphatically crushed any doubt that he is good enough for the Red Devils – but are they good enough for him?

da supremo： Alejandro Garnacho has long ceased to be Manchester United's great hope for the future. Right now, there is an argument to make that he is their best player. He is United's joint-most productive player in the Premier League, tied with Bruno Fernandes on 10 goal contributions each. Within the last four months, the winger has scored five goals and notched five assists.

Yet his numbers, as impressive as they are, do not tell the whole story. Among supporters, Garnacho has reached almost messianic status. Every time he gets on the ball at Old Trafford, people get out of their seats. And practically every act he commits on the pitch is greeted with the familiar cry of 'Viva Garnacho, running down the wing, hear United sing'.

There has been a special bond between United fans and Garnacho ever since he spearheaded the Under-18s side to glory in the FA Youth Cup in 2022, and the ties have grown stronger as he has made in-roads into the first team. There was an element of doubt about whether he could repeat his feats in youth football at the highest level, but little by little he has cast those aside, proving he has the mentality and maturity to match his extraordinary talents.

Garnacho has long settled the question of whether or not he is good enough for Manchester United. The big question now is whether or not Manchester United are good enough for him.

GettyRunning down the wing

It is easy to see why United fans love Garnacho. If there is one position that has defined the club over its rich history, it is the winger. George Best was United's first global superstar and he played on the left wing. Sir Bobby Charlton might have been the more influential player overall, but Best was the one who excited the fans, and his name is still bellowed out by supporters at Old Trafford each week.

Best's successor was Ryan Giggs, who dazzled opponents down the left wing for the best part of 24 years and became the club's highest appearance maker. Giggs overlapped with David Beckham, the finest crosser of a ball in the club's history, and later with Cristiano Ronaldo, who started out as a fleet-footed winger before turning into a centre-forward.

Anthony Martial, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia were somewhat underwhelming successors before Marcus Rashford picked up the baton and developed into a thrilling left-forward. Garnacho is the latest exponent of the position, and like Best, Giggs and Rashford, he got his footballing education at United's academy, albeit after joining at the age of 16 from Atletico Madrid. The fact he won the Youth Cup like Best, Giggs and Beckham is significant. But his style of play, his capacity to thrill and put on a show, is what makes him a real United player.

"I think that is in our blood, our style of football is designed to get supporters out of their chairs," Nick Cox, United's head of academy, told GOAL last year. "You have to be creative and to play with flair. Alejandro has really embraced the fact that our supporters not only warm to entertaining players, but they really enjoy watching young players that they feel are one of them."

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTaking responsibility

Garnacho is more than just a showman, though, and in the last four months he has added productivity to his already long list of attributes. Still only 19, this is his first full season in the senior team, but he has been stepping up and delivering with increasing frequency when his more experienced team-mates have been struggling.

Take Saturday's game against Everton. United kept on being opened up by the visitors, who had 23 shots over the course of 90 minutes, only four fewer than Manchester City the previous week. With Rasmus Hojlund still missing, United had no centre-forward and no real focal point in attack.

So Garnacho took on responsibility, slicing through Everton's defence and winning two penalties to put United in charge. In the second half, he was the player who looked most likely to strike again, and he should have done so when he was through on goal, albeit from a tight angle, and shot over the bar.

Erik ten Hag was beaming when he spoke about him afterwards in glowing terms. “I love him," said the United manager. "He’s a young player and he needs a challenge, he loves a challenge. He’s very brave, very confident, and we have to push him to high levels."

Getty More focused after missing breakfast

That Garnacho had talent was no secret, but there were concerns about his work rate off the ball, his willingness to defend an his focus. And even as he was singing the player's praises, Ten Hag felt the need to mention that focus. “Sometimes for young players, it is difficult because they are inexperienced. But if he keeps this focus, this attitude, he will improve from game to game," the Dutchman said.

Garnacho turned up late to breakfast during United's pre-season tour of Asia in 2022 and Ten Hag, who was on a mission to raise standards at the club, dropped him for the friendlies against Liverpool, Crystal Palace, Melbourne Victory and Aston Villa. He did not start him for a league game until the trip to Villa in November.

Garnacho took his punishment on the chin, however, and used it as a motivation to knuckle down. According to , he asked the club to devise him a personalised training programme in order to build muscle mass, while he employed his own nutritionist.

Fernandes noted his improvement after Garnacho scored his first senior goal against Real Sociedad, declaring: "At the beginning of the season, he was not at his best. In the tour he didn't have the best attitude that he should have, and that's why he didn't get his chances until now. He's getting his chances because he's training better, he's got a different attitude and he's deserving his chances."

GettyRising to the occasion

Garnacho still had the reputation as a super-sub last season and was less effective when starting games. He had similar problems at the start of this season, as he put in poor displays against Wolves and Tottenham before reverting to his role as a substitute. Again, he worked on his weak points and made a huge improvement.

A year after he had highlighted Garnacho's attitude problems, Fernandes praised him for how he had improved his overall play. It was two days after his outrageous bicycle kick against Everton, but the captain focused on the other aspects of the teenager's game.

"He has that special talent for big moments to be decisive. But I’m more happy for his work off the ball against Everton – it was, for me, the best game he’s had until now, it was amazing," Fernandes said. "I think when he can put that together with his qualities to score goals and help the team up front, he’s going to be such a good player. He’s already a great player, but I think for his age and for his talent, he can be much better than he is actually already."

Garnacho has now started the last 25 matches in all competitions and is the only player to have been named in every matchday squad. Only Andre Onana, Fernandes, Diogo Dalot and Rashford have played more Premier League minutes than him for United this season.

Since his acrobatic goal against Everton, Garnacho has scored six more times and keeps rising to the occasion. When United were trailing 2-0 at home to Villa, he led the fightback to win 3-2 with two goals. He scored twice more in the 3-0 win over West Ham and was United's top performer in the 2-1 win against Chelsea, setting up Scott McTominay's winner.