Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has been discussing man of the moment Alejandro Garnacho.
The teenager struck United’s winner against Fulham at the weekend, following a winning goal against Real Sociedad a week earlier.
Garnacho was praised by manager Erik ten Hag and Gary Neville, and Rio Ferdinand has now given his insight on the teenager.
Ferdinand says he was at United to see the under-21s face Monaco in the Premier League International Cup on Friday night, a game they lost 2-0, and spoke with Darren Fletcher and John Murtough.
He said he talked to the pair about Garnacho, and explained that United technical director Fletcher spoke highly of the teenager.
Ferdinand told Five: “Fletch says, do you know what he loves about him, there’s an arrogance. He’s got an arrogance about him which is brilliant.
“There’s a certain type of arrogance you want in players, he has that.”
Rio’s own encounter with Garnacho
Ferdinand said he encountered Garnacho earlier in the season when the teenager was warming up with the first team away at Southampton.
He explained that he saw Garnacho had the attitude of a star, one who is not over awed by anybody – except perhaps Cristiano Ronaldo.
The former centre-back explained: “It threw me back to a game we was doing at BT, and he was on the bench warming up and you see that little look. with eye contact with players.
“My man just looked me up and down like I was any guy, and then just jogged off. I don’t mind that.”
Garnacho has made the leap from academy talent to first team star, now with two goals and two assists this season.
The teenager’s ‘arrogance’ is a self-belief, a determination to become the best, the same traits once made famous by his idol Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo’s recent actions have taught a lesson of what ‘not to do’ for Garnacho, not to let arrogance consume him.
There is a line, which Ronaldo has trod carefully his whole career. Only at the age of 37 has he now gone too far.
If Garnacho can continue to show his quality, he is in with a chance of replacing Ronaldo as United’s number seven.
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