Pundit says Manchester United ace will be Real Madrid-level if he does one thing

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Manchester United wonderkid Alejandro Garnacho is a superior goalscoring record away from being a footballer of Real Madrid quality, according to one former Aston Villa ace.

The 19-year-old might not have provided a repeat of his Boxing Day brace as Manchester United took on Aston Villa again on Sunday afternoon but – making his 20^th consecutive start in all competitions – the improvement in Alejandro Garnacho’s all-round game was clear to see during the return fixture.

Starting the game on the right and finishing it on the left, the Argentina international was a threat throughout. There was one fizzing long range effort with his weaker foot in the first half, and a curling strike in the second which narrowly skipped beyond Emi Martinez’s post.

And Stan Collymore, who spent three years at Villa Park between 1997 and 2000, believes that Garnacho is a consistent end-product away from becoming an attacker capable of gracing the very highest peaks of the European game.

Alejandro Garnacho shining at Manchester United

“For Manchester United, what they lacked in finesse at times they made up for in doing the dirty things in the game, from back to front, which firmly answers whether the players buy into the manager,” Collymore writes on X, also hailing the masterful Kobbie Mainoo and the suddenly-prolific Rasmus Hojlind.

“Hojlund is a born goalscorer. Garnacho would be playing for Real Madrid if he could finish. And Mainoo could anchor that midfield for as long as he wants to.

“Very early days but there’s definitely some green shoots of the core of a team there.”

Future looks bright at Old Trafford

Collymore’s suggestion that Garnacho lacks the required ruthlessness does seem a little harsh, however, when you consider that the teenager has seven goals this season. A tally only bettered by Hojlund and Sunday’s match-winner Scott McTominay.

With 12 since breaking into Ten Hag’s first-team, Garnacho has more goal contributions than Jadon Sancho managed in nearly 2,000 more minutes in United colours. One Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, managed 15 goals in his first two seasons at Old Trafford, a tally Garnacho should comfortably match if he maintains his scintillating recent form.