Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag revealed he was unhappy with Alejandro Garnacho in the early weeks of the season. Garnacho, 18, made his full debut in United’s 3-0 Europa League win over FC Sheriff on Thursday night, having appeared against Brighton, Real Sociedad and Sheriff in Moldova. The Argentine emerged for his United debut against Chelsea in April and he was included in Ten Hag’s pre-season tour squad of Australia and Thailand but did not appear in any of the four games. Garnacho has started twice for the Under-21s in EFL Trophy games but was recalled by Ten Hag for his first senior appearance in over a month at Old Trafford.
Erik Ten Hag said: “I think it was a good performance from him. He did what I expected him to do. First, he deserved a chance for the last weeks. The start was difficult for him in the season. I was not happy with him, but in the last weeks I was happy with him, a better attitude, more resilience, more determination. And what you see is he has the talent to deal with the ball in tight areas, to run behind and especially also his tempo dribbles, he can take players on and that’s a good capability now in his football, especially against opponents who are defending as compact as this opponent. I am happy with that, I hope for him it’s a stimulant and he knows I have to do better to get into the team, to create more and don’t forget you are playing in a team. Young kids have to grow and to raise their personality. They have to know what the laws and demands are in football, top football, it’s not only about the trick or about scoring one goal. We have to win football games, that demands a lot and then you have to fulfil every day the high standards, that is what we have to teach, not only him but we have to teach all the players, but especially the young players.”
