Alejandro Garnacho is now Manchester United’s youngest non-English goalscorer in Europe since George Best. It would be profoundly dangerous to start talking about the 18-year-old as a successor to the Belfast boy. Arguably no player has surpassed the messianic fervour Best inspired at Old Trafford. To paraphrase an old line about the Irishman, Giggs good, Ronaldo better, George Best.
But there is no doubt Garnacho is a player of undoubted ability. Since starring in his side’s FA Youth Cup win last season, the Argentina under-20 international has been part of Erik ten Hag’s first team plans. Every club’s fans love the age-old story of the youth team star-made-good. Perhaps nowhere is this more true than the club that produced the Busby Babes and Fergie’s Fledglings. Last month marked 85 years in which the Red Devils have named an academy player in every matchday squad.
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But the simple fact youth is given its head at Old Trafford does not mean every player is a roaring success. For every David Beckham there are countless teenagers who ply their trade further down the pyramid, or leave football altogether. Garnacho’s introduction suggests great things, but it does not guarantee them. There are some recent examples to heed when it comes to the diverging fortunes of the academy call-up.
United’s most successful academy graduate of recent years has been Marcus Rashford. While the forward has endured mixed form in a United shirt, his career has been a largely rewarding one. The Wythenshawe lad has a Europa League, FA Cup and League Cup on his CV. He has 12 goals in 46 England caps and recently reached 100 goals for the Red Devils. Still only 25, it seems plausible that the best is still to come from Rashford.
Anthony Elanga has not reached those heights, but he is becoming an increasingly big part of the first team squad. The 20-year-old found his role increased under interim manager Ralf Rangnick last season, and new boss Ten Hag hasn’t been afraid to use the Sweden international either. A raw but exciting talent, Elanga should be a part of the Old Trafford ecosystem for a while yet.
Not every “next big thing” has been so lucky. Even just in recent years, a number of United youngsters tipped for greatness have had to look elsewhere for avenues to chase it. England under-21 international Angel Gomes played 10 times for the club and many were touting him to add to that number. But frustration over a lack of game time saw him back himself by refusing a contract extension.
The London-born midfielder instead accepted an offer from Lille. The Ligue 1 side immediately loaned him out to Boavista, where he impressed. Now back at Lille, he has 42 appearances under his belt and four goals. Away from the glare of the Paul Scholes comparisons he had been garnering since he was still a child, Gomes appears to be flourishing.
James Garner is the most recent example of a United starlet having to chase their dreams out of the limelight the 20-time English champions offer. The ambitious midfielder had impressed on loan at Nottingham Forest last season, helping the Tricky Trees get promoted to the Premier League. But faced with the reality of a reduced role, particularly after decorated midfielder Casemiro joined, Garner elected to continue his journey at Everton. He has largely featured as a substitute so far, but learning from former England midfield great Frank Lampard isn’t a bad place to be.
A club with such a prolific academy will always have these stories. For every Rashford or Elanga that breaks through, you will find an Adnan Januzaj at Sevilla or a Tahith Chong at Birmingham City. No club at Premier League level imports an entire team wholesale from their academy into their first team squad. It’s all about trying not to slip through the cracks and making the step up.
Will Garnacho manage to do that? The on-field signs are good. There are distant alarm bells for those willing to listen to them, though. Both Ten Hag and Bruno Fernandes have made mention of the fact that Garnacho’s attitude was found wanting when he first joined the first team squad. Fernandes told MUTV after the Real Sociedad game on Thursday night, “He didn't get his chances before because he was not good enough in training and not good enough mentality-wise. He's changed that, that's why he's getting chances.”
The fact Garnacho had faults pointed out to him and worked to address them bodes well. At the age of 18, even the most promising career can crumble without the right guidance or attitude. Ten Hag is an exacting disciplinarian who expects a high calibre of conduct from his players. His decisive treatment of Cristiano Ronaldo, coincidentally Garnacho’s idol, after his indiscretions spoke volumes. If one of the most high-profile players of all-time can be disciplined, anybody can.
The beauty of a promising young starlet is that you really don’t know what’s to come next. Will Garnacho be the answer to a trivia question or the answer to United’s problems? A cult Freddy Adu-like figure or a genuine force in the world game? Right now, we don’t know. As United’s youth from Best to Gomes have shown, anything is possible.
