An unexpected incident occurred during Manchester United’s press conference involving Alejandro Garnacho.
Just last week marked the third anniversary of an emotional moment for the Garnacho family, who watched from the directors’ box at Old Trafford as Alejandro Garnacho made his first-team debut for Manchester United against Chelsea, wearing shirt number 47.
At just 17, Garnacho had already caught the attention of Ralf Rangnick after leading United’s youth team to the FA Youth Cup final. Two weeks after making his senior debut, he starred in the final against Nottingham Forest, scoring twice to seal the win at Old Trafford.
Since arriving in Manchester during the pandemic, Garnacho has mostly stayed out of the media spotlight. However, after four and a half years at the club, he finally appeared for a press event at Carrington on Wednesday. Typically, press conferences focus on the manager, but this time, all eyes were on Garnacho—seen as a key figure in Erik ten Hag’s project and the club’s future.
His future had been uncertain in January when United rejected a £40 million bid from Napoli. Chelsea, known for hoarding young talent, had also shown interest. Garnacho, who began as a winger at Atletico Madrid and continued in that role at United, had to adapt under Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system—a shift he admitted was tough at first.
In mid-December, Amorim left both Garnacho and Marcus Rashford out of the Manchester derby due to concerns over their attitude. Rashford hasn’t featured since, but Garnacho has played in every game, starting 13 matches in a row, with a 14th expected against Athletic Bilbao.
Amorim’s praise has been so consistent that he wasn’t even asked about Garnacho during the recent press conference—despite the player sitting next to him. With United pursuing Matheus Cunha as a new No.10, Garnacho’s place in the starting lineup may be under threat. Still, he has already surpassed the likes of Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial, and Elanga for the left-wing spot.
Former teammates from the Mourinho era observed that Rashford didn’t take criticism well. Garnacho, however, was candid during his interview, admitting his struggles. “It’s tough when a new coach arrives mid-season and changes the system,” he said. “But I try to adapt, improve daily, and prove I deserve to play.”
Despite challenges, Garnacho has stepped up. When United needed a senior figure to join Amorim for the media ahead of the quarter-final against Lyon, they chose Harry Maguire. Garnacho, however, has also taken on more media duties recently, including interviews with Kobbie Mainoo and a post-match discussion after beating Everton.
Club insiders say Garnacho volunteered for his recent press conference debut, eager to step up as he becomes more experienced. Having already made 140 appearances for United, his presence next to Amorim showed his growing status in the squad.
Known for imitating Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic celebrations, Garnacho dismissed direct comparisons with the Portuguese legend, even though he is just one goal shy of matching Ronaldo’s first three-season goal tally at United. While Ronaldo turned 21 in 2006 during his third season, Garnacho will hit that milestone this July—suggesting he may be ahead of schedule.
“I’m not focused on stats,” he said. “Cristiano was a different kind of player. My aim is to help the team win. We all train hard—me, Rasmus Hojlund, the rest of the strikers—so we’re all improving.”
Last week in Bilbao, four members of Garnacho’s family sat proudly in the executive box, all wearing jerseys with “Garnacho 17” on the back. If he remains at United, a future shirt upgrade to the iconic number 7 .
