18-year-old Alejandro Garnacho burst onto the Manchester United scene in an exhilarating fashion.
The exciting winger joined United from Atletico Madrid in 2020. This season alone, Garnacho has made four first-team appearances. His first senior start alongside hero and United returnee Cristiano Ronaldo against Sheriff in the Europa League was the most memorable.
Neil Wood, Salford City boss, is familiar with the rising star but warns against rushing his development (via The Athletic). Wood spent almost eight years at United. During this stint, he coached the under-14s, 15s, and 16s in the academy, becoming head coach of the under-23s.
Plenty to offer/ An exciting prospect
Like many, the Salford City gaffer recognises the young attacker’s promise. In his interview with The Athletic, he said, “He’s got good attacking flair, and there’s real potential there.”
“There’s no doubt he has talent, can score individual goals, and that he’s good at dribbling.”
In his breakout appearance against Sheriff, Garnacho put on an impressive display showing his qualities as an exciting front-runner.
Despite this, the pragmatic Wood insists, “He’s still got a lot to learn and a lot of development to go through.”
Room for improvement
The former United coach added, “He needs to improve – his passing, keeping the ball, protecting the ball, hiding the ball when he’s dribbling, being more productive with his end product, creating more assists.”
Patience is key
Wood, an ex-academy player plagued by injuries, is all-to-familiar with the rise and fall of players. Patience is vital, particularly for players who are dubbed to be the next big thing.
While fans are excited to see more of the starlet, Wood suggests playing the long game with Garnacho may be more fruitful.
His parting warning against throwing Garnacho into the first team too early is clear: “Too much too soon can damage a player’s development.”
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