Manchester United’s academy has produced some fantastic players over the years, and their first team currently boasts several of those stars.
Perhaps the most famous of the bunch at the moment is Marcus Rashford. He has played 426 times for the club, although his future is up in the air after missing last Sunday’s Manchester Derby.
Kobbie Mainoo is flying the flag for the next generation of Carrington stars. The 19-year-old has taken to life in the Premier League like a duck to water, featuring 47 times since his debut 12 months or so ago.
The other prominent academy star in the first team is Alejandro Garnacho, who has actually been linked with a move away from Old Trafford.
La Liga giants target Man United forward
It has been quite the rise to the top for Garnacho, who joined the Red Devils at the age of 16 and made his debut when he was 17. Now 20 years of age, he is an established member of the first team at Old Trafford.
He has already reached a century of appearances for the famous old club, an extraordinary achievement at his age. In total, Garnacho has played 110 times in the red of United, scoring 23 goals and grabbing 13 assists.
No doubt, his most spectacular strike in that time was a phenomenal overhead kick against Everton in the 2023/24 campaign, winner of the 2024 Puskas award.
The Argentina international had made a fast start to the new season, too. He has scored eight goals and has four assists in 23 appearances, with three of those strikes coming in the Premier League. However, along with Rashford, he was also dropped from the squad for the 195th Manchester Derby last weekend, which was explained by new manager Ruben Amorim.
“I pay attention to everything – the way you eat, the way you put on your clothes to go the game. Everything. I make my evaluation and then I have to decide. I have a lot of players to choose (from) and today I did my choice.”
On the back of that form, and perhaps the fact Amorim axed him from the squad last weekend, La Liga giants Atletico Madrid are believed to be showing an interest in signing the winger. Spanish reports say Diego Simone’s side are ‘targeting’ the youngster over the winter. It could be an expensive deal, with Garnacho valued at £95m by CIES Football Observatory.
A potential move away for their number 17 might be a concern for United, who surely would not want to lose one of their stars, in a transfer which could see history repeat itself.
The transfer repeat Man United will hope to avoid
Cristiano Ronaldo was once the golden boy of Old Trafford, dominating English football with scintillating skill, speed and power. It was rare that a weekend went by when the Portuguese attacker didn’t score.
His best campaign for the Red Devils came in 2007/08 when he won his first Champions League title. Ronaldo scored 42 times and grabbed eight assists in 49 games across competitions, winning the Ballon d’Or months later.
|
Ronaldo stats by competition 2007/08 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Competition |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Premier League |
34 |
31 |
7 |
|
Champions League |
11 |
8 |
1 |
|
FA Cup |
3 |
3 |
0 |
|
Community Shield |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
|||
One season later, at the end of the 2008/09 campaign, the legendary number seven left Old Trafford to join Real Madrid for a then-world record £80m fee. He merely added to his already great legacy at the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring 450 goals in 438 games for the club.
The similarities between Ronaldo’s move and a potential sale of Garnacho are perhaps too close to comfort for some United fans. A big club from Madrid comes calling, looking to pay a staggering amount for a premium winger in what could be a club-record sale.
The former Red Devils’ number seven even assisted his first goal for the club against Real Sociedad in the Europa League back in 2022, with a wonderfully weighted ball which Garnacho smashed home.
However, the pair have even been compared by a former teammate of Ronaldo, Paul Scholes. Back in October 2022, the legendary former United midfielder explained the Argentine “reminded me of a young Cristiano”, citing “his skill and taking the ball down with confidence” as reasons why.
The similarities are almost too much of a coincidence for Red Devils fans to ignore. There may well be a worry that one of their most exciting talents in years may also make the move to Madrid, almost identically following the footsteps of the man who he once called his “idol”.
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