Erik ten Hag's tough love readies Alejandro Garnacho
CLINCHER: Man Utd's Alejandro Garnacho finishes Wolves off with United's second goal at Old Trafford on Saturday. Pic: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
The sight of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford on Saturday, for the first time since his reign as Manchester United manager ended, was the chance to reflect on the changes the club has undergone in the 18 months since his departure.
It took until the 94th minute, however, for a gentle reminder about at least one legacy left behind by Erik ten Hag’s immediate predecessors. It was actually interim manager Ralf Rangnick who handed Alejandro Garnacho, then still 17, his debut in two late-season games a year ago.
But it was Solskjaer who signed him, paying Atletico Madrid £420,000 to add him to United’s academy in October 2020, a piece of business that could yet rank as one of the shrewdest transfers in recent club history - not that that is a particularly high bar.
Garnacho capped his return from a recent two month injury lay-off to race through and finish coolly in injury time, clinching an important win against Wolves that keeps the Reds well in control of the hunt for Champions League football.
It marked a potentially satisfactory end to the season for the teenager who, ten Hag revealed in the autumn, was left out of United’s pre-season games after twice turning up late for team meetings while on tour.
It was one of many references made by ten Hag, and senior players, about Garnacho’s attitude being, at times, questionable earlier in his career but the mounting evidence - as articulated by the youngster’s mentor Bruno Fernandes - is that such indiscretions are a thing of the past.
“That message was from the manager, it wasn't from me, I just heard what the manager said,” said Fernandes.
“What I have to say to Garnacho, I say to him at the training ground, whenever we are eating, on the training ground, wherever. If he wants to hear, he hears. If not, he doesn't, but I try to help. I think he did an interview talking about me trying to help him a lot of times, and that's what I'm trying to do.
“Obviously, he's still young, and I don't want to give too many compliments, because when you're young, you get too many compliments, you can get a little bit relaxed and everything, because we need this Alejandro coming on and making goals, making assists, getting back to recover balls – everything.
“But if he wasn't doing what he needed to do, he wouldn't be playing. At the beginning of the season, the manager didn't give him many chances, because he thought that he wasn’t being the best, and now he's getting his chances.
“He's been getting his chances and playing a lot this season because he's training well and doing what he has to do and he's getting his rewards and the team are getting the rewards as well, and that's the most important thing.”
There have been many examples of ten Hag’s “tough love” reaping dividends in a season that may yet end with him adding the FA Cup and Champions League football to the EFL Cup he has already won, but Garnacho may be the most spectacular.
"Obviously he was already very good playing for the youth but it is a big difference playing for the youth side to playing in the Premier League,” added Fernandes.
“It is a little bit of everything, you are used to the pace of the youth – you have quick players there also but in the Premier League they are physical, they are quick, they are smart. You play against older players and even if they are not as quick as you they can in moments get your timing.
“So I think he is doing very well and he is training every time with us which makes him more prepared for games but mentally he is much better also and I think he understood what it takes to be a professional player.
“And he is taking that and he is working a lot also in the gym with the coaches so he is getting his rewards. He is getting his rewards because he is training well because, if he wasn’t, he is not even playing I’m sure.”
In the short-term, and with leading scorer Marcus Rashford out injured, Garnacho’s goal was all the more important given a nervy ending to the game as his team tried to hold onto Anthony Martial’s first-half effort.
Coming off the back of one goal in the previous three games before Wolves - two of which had ended in defeat - his return could be timely as United face an away trip to Bournemouth followed by two home fixtures to end their league campaign.
“We know it will be tough to get the top four but it depends on ourselves and everything is in our hands so we have to do our job,” added Fernandes.
“It is about ourselves and like I said if we do our job properly, if we win our games we will be in the Champions League so we don’t need to look at the table or look at other teams."
De Gea 6; Wan-Bissaka 6, Lindelof 6, Varane 7 (Maguire 80), Shaw 7; Casemiro 6, Eriksen 6 (Fred 81); Antony 7, Fernandes 7, Sancho 5 (Garnacho 81); Martial 7 (Weghorst 68, 6).
Butland, Malacia, Dalot, Pellistri, Elanga.
Bentley 8; Semedo 7, Dawson 6, Kilman 6, Toti 5 (Bueno 61, 5); Nunes 5, Neves 7, Lemina 6 (Traore 74, 5), Neto 5 (Hwang 45, 7); Cunha 5 (Podence 61, 6), Costa 5 (Jimenez 77, 5).
Sa, Collins, Sarabia, Gomes.
: J Brooks 7.
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