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Manchester United legend Gary Pallister has layered praise onto Alejandro Garnacho, comparing his performances to that of Ryan Giggs.
Speaking to TG Casino via the Mirror, Pallister explained: “Alejandro Garnacho reminds me a little bit of Ryan Giggs when Giggs played on the right – the way he’d come in off the touchline onto his favoured foot and open things up.”
“Garnacho can go both ways and is aggressive when he has the ball, which is a real bonus and a problem for opponents,” Pallister observed. It is for this reason that the former United defender believes that fellow winger Antony has been the subject of widespread criticism.
“I think that’s something that’s been aimed at Antony since he joined Manchester United – he predominantly tries to cut inside and hit that wonder strike into the top corner, but you need to be able to threaten defenders both ways to be effective like Garnacho is. Garnacho is still a work in progress, but he’s a real threat and can score goals,” the four-time Premier League winner explained.
Clearly, Pallister is not the only one who has recognised Garnacho’s impressive talents. The Argentine winger was recently nominated for the Globe Soccer Emerging Player 2024 award.
Garnacho has appeared in all 11 of Man United’s Premier League games so far this season, starting on seven occasions. During this time, he scored three goals and bagged an assist.
He has also impressed in United’s first two Carabao Cup games, scoring three goals and bagging three assists. (Transfermarkt)
Among his shining moments was his crucial goal in the 2-1 win over Brentford, which was nominated for the Premier League Goal of the Month.
By inspecting the underlying figures of Garnacho’s performances, it becomes evident that the 20 year old is lacking in the finishing department. With a steep 3.52 xG, the Argentine has converted just 10% of his goalscoring opportunities.
In total, he has scored from one of his eight shots from outside of the box while converting two of his 23 attempts from inside the box.
His ball carrying has also been poor, with 22% dribbling while winning just 33% of his total dribbles. (Stats via Sofascore)
Still, Pallister warned against being too critical of the youngster.
“People talk about his final ball and decision-making, but that’ll come with time because he’s still a young player. He’s definitely been one of the more positive stories for Manchester United over the past couple of seasons, and the way he goes about his game is a breath of fresh air sometimes,” Pallister explained.
With Antony potentially leaving United sometime in the foreseeable future, Garnacho’s role at United may become increasingly important. For that reason, he will need to improve his finishing should he hope to solidify his place as a starting winger under new manager Ruben Amorim, who he will no doubt be looking to impress.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
