The steady stream of talented young players that Manchester United produces is sometimes a boon to the club and other times a bane. One of the players who came up through United's legendary youth program scored the game-winning goal against Fulham the weekend before last. There are very few teams, if any, that can match the level of success that United's youth program has achieved.
United's newest up-and-coming star, Alejandro Garnacho, has just made his debut with the first team, and as a result, the pressure and the expectations that are placed on him as a young player have increased. It is a well-known fact that high levels of pressure are necessary for the formation of diamonds, and the 18-year-old boy is a diamond in the making. While he is still getting the hang of his craft, he exudes the youthful exuberance of a young man and possesses a great deal of self-belief. The nature of the beast is such that Garnacho is currently the new kid on the block, and as a result, those who came before him have been given an unfairly negative impression as a result of comparison. At Craven Cottage on Sunday, the spotlight was directed toward Anthony Elanga, who was pitted against the Argentine ace in a manner that was very harsh.
You need only think back to the beginning of the year, when Elanga was considered to have tremendous potential for the years to come and Garnacho was largely unknown outside of the academy system. The Swedish forward was one of the few who shone under interim manager Ralf Rangnick, scoring an inspired goal away at Atletico Madrid. He was one of the few who shone under Ralf Rangnick.
Since then, Elanga has been going about his business in a very low-key manner. Since scoring that goal in the Spanish capital back in February, he has not scored for the club again, and he has only directly contributed to one goal in any of his 13 senior appearances so far this season. Garnacho has scored four goals in his last three matches.
However, there is a logic behind why Elanga is still frequently chosen over other languages. The entirety of Erik ten Hag's coaching philosophy is predicated on playing the percentages and adopting a style of play that will, in an ideal scenario, result in Manchester United winning a match as a direct result of their overwhelming superiority. In order to accomplish this goal, United needs to be in control of games, which requires the manager to select players in whom he not only has faith but who also provide reliable performance on the field.
Even though Elanga's recent play may not have reached the same dizzying heights as Garnacho's, Ten Hag has found him to be a fairly reliable option, particularly in terms of his movement both on and off the ball. Garnacho's performance may have been more impressive overall.
In the previous year, Bruno Fernandes had this to say about him regarding him: "Elanga was already playing with us, and this pre-season he has been brilliant." "He's a nice kid, works hard, and is really humble, and I think he deserves everything that's happening to him," said his friend. "He's deserving of everything that's happening to him."
Because of these issues, he began his campaign against Fulham. Ten Hag desired a dependable right winger who could assist Tyrell Malacia with his defensive responsibilities in order to cover for the absence of Diogo Dalot. United's right flank was always their weak point, but after Elanga was taken out of the game and replaced by Scott McTominay and Fernandes was moved to that position, it became even more of a liability for them.
In point of fact, the equalizer for Fulham was scored as a direct result of that, with Fernandes being lazy in his attempt to win back the ball he had just lost and Malacia being caught significantly out of position as he scrambled back towards his own box.
The only way for United to find a way back into the game was after they switched back to using two legitimate wide options. This time, they broke through on the left flank as Garnacho linked up with Christian Eriksen to score the game-winning goal late in regulation.
Once more, the insights provided by Fernandes are helpful in shedding light on the current predicament. Both the Portuguese midfielder and manager Ten Hag have brought up Garnacho's previous attitude problems and warned him that if he wants to reach his full potential at the club, he needs to improve his work ethic. Garnacho has been warned that if he wants to reach his full potential at the club, he needs to improve his work ethic. Last week, he explained that "on the tour, he didn't have the best attitude that he should have had, and that's why he didn't get his chances until now." "On the tour, he didn't have the best attitude that he should have had," he said. He has improved his training, adopted a new mentality, and proven that he is worthy of the opportunities that have been presented to him.
Garnacho arrived late to two different team meetings during the summer tour, and as a consequence, he was not selected for any of the team's first four matches. This was the penalty for his tardiness.
