Alejandro Garnacho

A lively front-runner, who had an enviable goals record in his homeland, he has appeared mostly on the left-hand side of attack since breaking into the Under-18s team. He made his debut as a substitute in the mini-Manchester derby in October 2020, and scored his first goal against Everton. Garnacho has enjoyed prolific goalscoring form in the 2021/22 season, with notable performances in the Under-18s’ FA Youth Cup run. The Madrid-born winger scored twice in the quarter-final against Leicester City at Old Trafford, having also netted in games against Everton and Scunthorpe United at the Theatre of Dreams. He also played a key role in helping the Under-19s to the UEFA Youth League last-16. Alejandro has represented Spain at youth levels, but is also eligible to play for Argentina, the country of his mother’s birth. In March 2022, he received a call-up to Argentina’s preliminary squad for their FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador. On 28 April 2022, Garnacho made his senior debut for the Reds when he came on as an injury-time substitute, replacing Anthony Elanga, in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea in Premier League. The 2022/23 season was one where he enjoyed a real breakthrough, including scoring for the first time, when claiming the winner away to Real Sociedad in the Europa League. A maiden Premier League strike was one to savour as it sent us into the break for the winter World Cup on the back of a late victory at Fulham. When Erik ten Hag took over, he trusted in the winger and appreciated his fearless nature when taking on defenders. Consequently, he has become a key part of our attacking armoury and was rewarded with a new five-year contract in April 2023. He won his first Argentina cap two months later. Largely an impact player off the bench in 2022/23, Garnacho established himself as a starter the following campaign, and gave emphatic notice of his rapidly developing talent with a truly astonishing overhead kick at Everton, which would regally claim the Premier League’s Goal of the Month prize for November 2023. That was also the month that Garnacho nailed down a consistent starting spot in Erik ten Hag’s XI – through November, December, January, February and March, Garnacho started every game and was arguably the Reds’ most influential performer. Fans responded by voting him as the club’s Player of the Month for both November and December. The highlights of this burst of form? A memorable double in a dramatic comeback win against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, and another pair of goals in a 3-0 victory over West Ham in early February – a match that was memorable for a joyous photo of Alejandro celebrating his strikes by sitting on the advertising hoardings alongside two other precocious talents, Rasmus Hojlund and Kobbie Mainoo. There was also progress for his country. In the break of March 2024, Garnacho was handed a first senior start by Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni, playing 70 minutes of a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica. Garnacho ended the 2023/24 season as an FA Cup winner, featuring heavily for United and becoming one of Erik ten Hag’s most valuable players, playing a total of 50 games in total. Having scored ten goals and grabbed five assists, Garna returned to United in the summer as a Copa America winner alongside Lisandro Martinez, with Argentina beating Colombia in the 2024 final in the USA.