12 January 2024 , 02:00
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Alejandro Garnacho has been hailed as the natural successor to Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs.
Giggs, who played a record 963 times for United, is also their most decorated player, with 13 Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, four FA Cups and four League Cups. United fans have adapted their 'Viva Ronaldo' chant to acclaim Garnacho, but former Old Trafford midfielder Paul Ince reckons the 19-year-old winger is more like his former team-mate Giggs.
“Forget about Alejandro Garnacho’s unbelievable goal against Everton,” said Ince. “His real asset is that when he gets the ball, his first thought is wanting to beat an opposition player.
“He’s always trying to get past people, which is a great asset to have. He’s like Giggs in the sense that as soon as he got the ball, the first thing on his mind was trying to beat someone. He’s definitely got that characteristic in him. He’s exciting to watch and gets the fans off their seats and I think he’s going to have a very good career, that’s for sure.”
While United have toiled this season, with 14 defeats from 29 games in all competitions, Garnacho has been a revelation, one of the few players to shine in an otherwise dismal campaign.
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Garnacho has five goals this term, including a spectacular overhead kick in United's 3-0 win at Everton in November, which is already the favourite to win Goal of the Season. But Ince reckons the gifted Argentina international can add more goals to his game and has urged him to follow the work ethic of United legend Eric Cantona to do so.
Alejandro Garnacho has scored five goals for Man United this season (Getty Images)How good can Alejandro Garnacho be? Share your thoughts in the comments below
“I’d like to see him score more goals, but he’s still young and can improve a lot,” Ince told luckyblock.com. “I remember playing with Eric and he used to turn up early for training to work on his weak foot and his shooting – every day he used to do that.
“That’s what you want to see these young kids do – come out and work on your weaknesses and become a better player. If he does that, then he’s going to be a very important player for United over a long period of time.”
Ince also said United can no longer afford to make expensive mistakes in the transfer market and must sign players who can handle the pressure of playing for one of the world's biggest clubs.
“They can’t go mad in January,” he said. “First thing’s first is that you don’t get the best players in January, that’s a fact.
“Secondly, there shouldn’t be a rush for United – we’ve seen over the last six or seven years that the recruitment has been poor for one reason or another. Some of the players who have come in aren’t at the right level, and they’ve ended up spending a lot of money on individuals who haven’t ended up improving the team.
“It’s not as if United are going to win the title this year, so they’ve got time to make their decisions. They need to sign players who can deal with the pressure of playing for United and produce the right standards on the pitch and the training pitch every week.”