It was in the 58th minute when Alejandro Garnacho collected a high ball deep on the left to take an onrushing Chris Richards out of the game.
Manchester United, already 3-0 up and cruising on their return to Carabao Cup football, took a moment to applaud their Carrington graduate for his moment of skill. The 19-year-old savoured the acclaim for a fraction too long, before attempting to nutmeg Richards and again take him on the outside. He failed and fell to the ground after a body check from the Crystal Palace defender.
It was a short phase of play that sums up the thrilling United forward. Garnacho can move the Old Trafford crowd from their seats — and he might yet move to the front of Erik ten Hag’s attacking hierarchy with some more refinement.
United were much improved in their League Cup third-round win. Ten Hag made seven changes to the starting XI that beat Burnley 1-0 on the weekend, with Garnacho starting in a revamped front three along with Anthony Martial and Facundo Pellistri. Mason Mount joined Hannibal Mejbri as a pair of No 8s ahead of Casemiro, while Sofyan Amrabat played at left-back in another reworked back four.
It produced an energetic and entertaining performance to further settle fan nerves. Amrabat was not signed to bolster United’s options at full-back, but he had prior knowledge of playing there for Ten Hag (in 2016 at Utrecht in the Eredivisie). The movement and intensity of Mount and Hannibal eased the defensive burden on Casemiro, and United looked more coherent than in recent weeks.
Then there was Garnacho; a player fast-fashioning himself to be an exclamation point on many of United’s best attacks. The 21st minute saw the young Argentinian cap off United’s first goal — a well-worked pull-back move started by Mount before involving Pellistri and an underlapping run by Diogo Dalot.
Garnacho was an unused substitute against Burnley but was afforded 90 minutes here against Palace, finishing with 58 touches of the ball and again displaying his direct style and willingness to take on his defender.
He inhabits an interesting position in the United squad: talented enough to be one of Ten Hag’s favoured substitutes when looking for a goal but having to duel with the more experienced (and similarly skilled) Marcus Rashford for the starting position on the left wing.
Ten Hag attempted to explain this quandary following last night’s match: “You have seen at the start of the season (when) we played him, his contribution was not good enough. But he also had some good actions. You see always he is a threat in the game even when he is not playing that well.”
Garnacho’s first two games of the season were affected by complications elsewhere in the side. His effectiveness on the left was limited against Wolverhampton Wanderers due to Ten Hag’s decision to ask Luke Shaw to invert and form a box midfield rather than offer his usual overlapping runs from left-back. Given another start in the following game against Tottenham Hotspur, Garnacho began brightly before a series of tweaks from opposition manager Ange Postecoglou exposed his naivety when working out of possession.
Against Palace last night, Garnacho was one of several players who benefited from Amrabat’s ability to cover ground. But for Ten Hag, there is more to come from his young attacker.
Amrabat’s inclusion benefited Garnacho (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
“He has to learn when he does his job in defending. He will always have his moment (to attack) and he will always be decisive because he has great qualities. It’s not only off the ball (improvements I ask from him). But I want to see like today, he is entering the box in the right spot to finish.”
Facing off against Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Nathaniel Clyne on Palace’s right-hand side, Garnacho won three of his seven one-v-one duels and maintained width before looking to cut inside and shoot. He hopes this showing will convince his manager to give him more game time in the Premier League this season — despite being a fan favourite, Garnacho is yet to play more than 900 minutes in the league.
The winger is capable of stunning moments, but perhaps Ten Hag wishes to iron out a few quirks before giving him back-to-back 90-minute appearances. There is a version of Garnacho who can score goals and beat defenders — but doesn’t stop to appreciate applause before attempting a nutmeg. That’s the iteration Ten Hag wants.
“I think it is quite normal for a player of his age that there is space for a lot of improvement,” Ten Hag said. “Everyone likes him: the fans like him, the team likes him, I like him. We have to demand from him and push him because he can act on a very high level, but he has to show it every day.”
Garnacho’s display was a bright point in a well-rounded team performance. Three goals and an improved Casemiro were welcome — as was a defensive effort that left Andre Onana with very little to do. At the half-hour mark, Palace had only been afforded one touch in United’s penalty area. Their first shot on goal came from Clyne with a speculative off-target attempt in the 67th minute. Onana was then called into action to make a smart save with his feet seconds later.
The majority of those in the stands at Old Trafford spent the game’s final minutes going through a variety of chants directed against the continued ownership of the Glazer family — a reminder that off-field issues still simmer in the background.
But on the field, at least the team was finally able to entertain, with Garnacho at the forefront.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
