Man Utd wonderkid who puts duo in danger of axe makes Golden Boy shortlist
Alejandro Garnacho is Manchester United's sole representative on this year's list of Golden Boy nominees, which could spell bad news for Jadon Sancho and Antony.
Erik ten Hag has already proven he is not afraid to axe the biggest names at Old Trafford and it has recently been suggested that the United boss could sideline the aforementioned big-money duo in favour of Golden Boy nominee Garnacho. The 19-year-old made 34 appearances for United last season and in that time popped up with ten goal contributions.
Considering he also missed two months with injury, that looks significantly better than Antony, who made 11 goal contributions in 44 appearances following an £81.3m from Ajax while Sancho made ten in 46 games.
Those figures go a long way to explaining why ex-Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor feels Garnacho will keep Antony and Sancho out of the side next term as he continues to develop and improve.
"I really like him, he's such a talented winger," Agbonlahor told Football Insider. "And Man United need that. I must admit, I'd totally forgotten about him during his injury last season. But United need that competition for places.
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"I think he can take the fight for that right-wing slot. He'll pile the pressure on Antony and on Sancho to take that spot because Rashford will have that left side locked down. I can see him breaking into the side, keeping Antony and Sancho out, and scoring a lot of goals for Man United."
Alejandro Garnacho was Manchester United's only representative on the list of Golden Boy nominees (Clive Rose/Getty Images)Mirror Football is now on Threads! You can follow us here.
Both Sancho and Antony significantly underwhelmed last term, while Garnacho's emergence was one of the shining lights of the entire season. His Golden Boy nomination will most likely not come as a surprise to Ten Hag, who has waxed lyrical about the Argentine previously.
After the wide-forward netted his first goal since returning from a lengthy injury lay-off in May, the United boss heaped praise on Garnacho and offered up an insight into how good he could go on to be.
"Garna, everyone can see it," Ten Hag said. "He came in and did almost everything good, and scored a great goal that will give him belief. One of the aspects of the biggest talent is that they are mature. First, they take responsibility then second, they are mature to bring in the skills and have belief that they can dominate opponents.
"Once again, he did it. He has had a big impact in many games: whether starting or coming on, he's straight into the game and that’s so important for the squad. I'm happy we can bring in young players and, hopefully, he will progress so quickly that he can compete for a starting XI position because that is his next challenge."
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