06 February 2024 , 13:54
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Manchester United almost lost out on Alejandro Garnacho – because of an argument between two young brothers.
Garnacho has emerged as one of the most exciting young talents in Europe and underlined his progress with two goals in Sunday's 3-0 win over West Ham. The Argentine winger has already scored the favourite for Goal of the Season – a spectacular overhead kick in United's 3-0 win at Everton in November.
But United nearly failed to sign Garnacho, who joined them as a 16-year-old from Atletico Madrid in August 2020 for a fee of £420,000. United's Head of Academy, Nick Cox, revealed how the deal for Garnacho – made during the Covid lockdown – almost collapsed over a remote video call.
Having scouted Garnacho, Cox was tasked with convincing Garnacho that United was the best club for him to develop and realise his rich potential. “That’s where it gets fun,” Cox told United Review.
“It became my job to present to Alejandro, his agent and his family, why this would be a wonderful opportunity and why he should leave a really good football club to come and join our football club. But I had to do that from my spare bedroom via video call, using a translator.
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“My boys at the time would have been 14 and 10, and I remember vividly that they were arguing with each other while I was trying to sign Alejandro. I still tell my boys now, had that argument rumbled on much longer, then we probably wouldn’t have Alejandro at Manchester United!
“We must have done okay, because he agreed to sign. He joined us as a first-year scholar in 2020, late August, right in the middle of lockdown.
Alejandro Garnacho joined Man United from Atletico Madrid in 2020 (Getty Images)How good could Alejandro Garnacho become? Share your predictions in the comments below
“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, 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 learned 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.”
When Garnacho, 19, arrived in Manchester, he had to spend a fortnight quarantining and had to arrive already changed for training – a maximum of 75 minutes – before going straight home.
Despite the tough start to his United career, he soon proved his worth, playing a starring role in the club's FA Youth Cup win and winning the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award.
This season, Garnacho has established himself as an automatic pick for United, having started their last 19 games in all competitions.