Patrice Evra has warned Manchester United not to become too dependent on Alejandro Garnacho, amid interest from Real Madrid and Chelsea.
The Argentine has adapted well to first-team football at Old Trafford and has been one of the bright sparks of a tentatively positive season.
He has already scored twice for United and has left many fans anticipating a fantastic career for the youngster.
But Evra believes that the expectations, both of the club and of Garnacho himself, must be moderated.
“For Ten Hag, there has been a lot of pressure and a lot of pressure off the pitch, as with the case of Cristiano Ronaldo,” Evra told BetFair (via SportBible). “Ten Hag has reached a new league and I am very happy.
“I don’t expect more from United, I keep saying it’s like a roller coaster, they’re going to win four games in a row that you don’t expect them to win, and then they’re going to lose a game. The last game we won against Fulham, and I felt we were too dependent on Garnacho, a little boy, and that’s why I know United are not ready.
“If you’re at a club like United or Juve, if it’s the kids that make the difference, that’s when you know something is wrong because in my time you had 20 personalities and characters, then the young players would come and they were a surprise. , but not”. the Savior.
“I do not like that. I love Garnacho but I don’t want him to be the savior, because if he is, something is wrong”.
The ‘roller coaster’ comment will no doubt resonate with fans who have seen many ups and downs since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
But Erik ten Hag appears to be bringing some semblance of consistency to the Red Devils and his ability to do so while paving the way for youngsters has brought good spirits at Old Trafford since he took over.
Naturally, relying on an 18-year-old winger to break into the team as a savior isn’t an ideal situation, but that still doesn’t seem to be where United find themselves.
Garnacho has enjoyed a series of games due to availability issues with the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial.
With Ten Hag short on attacking options, Garnacho may have gotten more playing time than his manager might have initially anticipated.
That is partly the reason behind United’s search for attacking reinforcements in the January transfer window.
Garnacho will no doubt continue to get plenty of first-team minutes, but through good management and recruitment, United should be able to avoid becoming too dependent on the young star.
