Manchester United are through to the fifth round of the FA Cup, but it wasn’t easy.
Ruben Amorim will owe Harry Maguire a huge thank you for his injury-time winner against Leicester City.
Manchester United were 1-0 behind at half-time – before a comeback in the second saw Old Trafford go home happy.
United walked out 2-1 victors on the night – with a handful of standout performers for the Red Devils.
The FA Cup defence continues into the fifth round, and while both Maguire and Joshua Zirkzee were among the goals – it was another player who was Amorim’s MVP in the game.
Wes Brown praises Alejandro Garnacho
The game on Friday night changed with the introduction of Alejandro Garnacho.
After the 2-1 win, Wes Brown was full of praise for Garnacho on MUTV.
“We didn’t get at them in the first half but a little better the second half once Garnacho comes on”, Brown explained. “He gets us up the pitch, we get players and bodies into the box for the crosses coming in and ultimately you hope it leads to a chance – which it did.”
Brown then discussed that during half-time, he saw Garnacho warming up down the left wing, getting a feel for his place on the pitch.
“I liked to see that he was envisioning where he was going to be in the second half. He came on and made the difference.
“If I was a defender and I saw him coming on I’d think ‘I’m in for a second half now, and that’s exactly what he did. He didn’t let us down, even for the other attacking players they know he’s going to get to the by-line and get crosses in.”
Brown wasn’t the only person praising Garnacho, as Maguire also lauded the 20-year-old, saying he was a game-changer while speaking with ITV.
“Yeah, of course, he made a big impact [Garnacho]. He always does when he comes off the bench.”
Garnacho was also voted as the man of the match, showcasing how big his impact was.
Garnacho becoming undroppable for Manchester United
After United managed to keep hold of Garnacho in the January transfer window, he has been showing his worth for Amorim.
Garnacho’s performance against Leicester was no different and has quite rightly been lauded. After the game, Amorim relayed in his post-game interview on ITV how happy he is to have kept the Argentine.
“He stayed on the bench five games in a row and every time he came on the pitch he was a different guy. Receiving the information and playing. It’s simple things, not a big thing. You can see it, I think he’s improving.
“He’s really important. We want players like Garnacho, he is very important and he changed the game today. We are happy with him.”
It is ludicrous to think United were willing to sell Garnacho so cheaply in January – the club will certainly not be making that mistake again. Thank goodness he stayed.
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