Garnacho set for 100th United appearance

The 20-year-old winger debuted for the Reds' first team back in April 2022, between the FA Youth Cup semi-final and final, two games he starred in at Old Trafford with thrilling displays.

Garnacho signed for United as a 16-year-old from Atletico Madrid, developing in the Academy at Carrington into a exciting forward.

Stand-out moments in this opening century of appearances for the club include a late, Cristiano Ronaldo-esque winner at Fulham in November 2022, a Boxing Day double at home to Aston Villa, another brace to down West Ham United at Old Trafford, in February of this year, and his goal in the Emirates FA Cup final at Wembley in May.

He also netted in our Community Shield defeat to Manchester City at the same stadium in August.

Alejandro has five goals and three assists in 13 appearances across all competitions this season, with his overall record standing at 20 goals and 13 assists in his first 99 United games.

While he’ll certainly be targeting further growth in his numbers, it’s clear to all Reds that Garnacho’s contribution isn’t limited only to goals and assists. There’s a certain electricity about his play that excites those watching on at Old Trafford and elsewhere, and drags the team forward at key moments. There’s also a sense of fearlessness and confidence, that ability to go again and again until it pays off.

Hitting 100 United appearances is a truly significant landmark. Garnacho will be the eighth member of the squad to reach three figures, following Marcus Rashford (415), Luke Shaw (275), Victor Lindelof (262), Bruno Fernandes (245), Jonny Evans (235), Harry Maguire (215) and Diogo Dalot (170).

Perhaps more importantly, Alejandro will be the 56th graduate from our world-famous Academy to complete his century.

Appropriately, graduate number one Tom Manley was the first to do so, on 25 January 1936, in a goalless FA Cup draw at Stoke City.

United greats Johnny Carey and Stan Pearson followed in the FA Cup-winning season of 1948. Their landmark moments actually came in the same match, on 13 March in an FA Cup victory at Derby County, in which Pearson scored a hat-trick.

Jonny Evans and Marcus Rashford, from the current squad, are the most recent graduates to hit 100. Rashford did so on 23 December 2017 in a 2-2 Premier League draw at Leicester City, while Jonny’s 100th came in his first spell at the club, on 30 November 2011 in a League Cup defeat to Crystal Palace.

It’s been a remarkable journey for Garnacho, who signed for United during the Covid-19 pandemic and, thus, had a unique introduction to life in Manchester and at the club.

Nick Cox, United’s Director of Academy, explained the process when speaking to United Review earlier this year.

“Ordinarily, when we’re bringing a player to Manchester we have to factor in all sorts of things: accommodation, transport, support for the family,” said Cox.

“In this case, also language because his English needed work, plus an education programme because he was still a 16-year-old boy who had to continue that. We needed him to understand the local area, life at Manchester United, build relationships around Carrington with the team of staff, be it coaches, medics, athletic development coaches, the psychologists, the analysts, and that is a huge piece of work which we had to do before a backdrop of Covid. That limited him and also meant that the football programme was severely hampered.

“When he landed, we had to coach him over video call in his back garden and get a fitness programme together. Then once he was with us, trying to deliver fitness sessions in the afternoons when he was back at home, or English lessons via video call, it was tricky. Our staff had to be really inventive and imaginative in how we supported him, but he had to be really resilient and focused, and there was an early example there of the character he’s got.

"We’d done our best to try to assess his character from afar and we learnt very quickly that we’d got a young man who’s determined, resilient, focused, driven, and those are all things that you need if you’re going to be a Manchester United player. We had experts to support him, but it had to come from him. The most important person was Alejandro, and his drive and his resilience, perseverance and focus to make this work. We just supported him. This came from within him.”

Garnacho didn’t wow with his initial displays, but Academy staff and his family helped support him as he found his feet. And in his second campaign as a United player, he began to put in some truly excellent performances, particularly in the FA Youth Cup.

A debut soon followed and then, gradually, he made himself into an indispensable player for Erik ten Hag’s United side. In the 2023/24 season, he started the final 38 consecutive matches for the Reds.

Now, it’s Garnacho, making his 100th United appearance, who acts as an inspiration for those who follow in his footsteps.

“It sends a ripple through the kids just behind him on their journeys,” Cox said.

“It makes them realise it is possible, they can do it too. Or the really competitive kids might want to go past him. Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro, they’re real competitors and when one breaks through, that only inspires the others to want to follow suit.

“For our really young players, to see a young boy score a goal like the one he did at Everton, that can only be an inspiration for them. There were bicycle kicks in our indoor area left, right and centre the following week. Everyone was trying it, even the goalies, and that's the power of a positive role model. It's an amazing thing for us to be able to celebrate."

GARNACHO’S LANDMARK APPEARANCES

1: UNITED 1 Chelsea 1 - 28 April 2022 - debut
7: Real Sociedad 0 UNITED 1 - 3 November 2022 - first goal
10: Fulham 1 UNITED 2 - 13 November 2022 - 93rd-minute winner
50: Fulham 0 UNITED 1 - 4 November 2023 - landmark appearance
53: Everton 0 UNITED 3 - 26 November 2023 - overhead kick
61: UNITED 3 Aston Villa 2 - 26 December 2023 - first United brace
86: UNITED 2 Man City 1 - 25 May 2024 - FA Cup final goal

And many more to come…