Manchester United legend Roy Keane is not usually the type to hand out compliments willy-nilly.
So while a penalty shoot-out defeat by rivals Man City in the Community Shield was not the birthday present the former Red Devils skipper was hoping for, the performance of one of Erik ten Hag’s key men at least gave Keane something to smile about as he turned 53 at Wembley.
And if there were any concerns that Alejandro Garnacho would be a little sluggish after a busy summer – he was part of Argentina’s Copa America-winning squad alongside Lisandro Martinez – they were emphatically dispelled as the winger rose from the bench and immediately looked like Manchester United’s biggest threat.
Garnacho, late on, slid an inch-perfect pass into Marcus Rashford which United’s number ten really should have finished.
The next time he received the ball wide on the right, Garnacho opted to do it all himself. And it was a decision that certainly paid off.
23 minutes after his introduction, the ever electrifying 20-year-old drove forward, cut inside and slotted an accurate finish past Ederson and into the bottom corner of the Man City net.
Alejandro Garnacho shines for Manchester United at Wembley
For Ian Wright, the Arsenal legend, it was no coincidence that Man United looked like a far better team after Garnacho entered the fray.
“(Man United are) more direct when he plays. More energised,” Wright tells ITV Sport (10 August, 5.30pm). “He seems like he is always trying to do something positive and he has got goals in him in big games.
“(When running at goal) he can see nothing else in his mind. He is looking to score.”
Keane tends to agree.
And there is something about Garnacho against Man City at Wembley.
After producing a dazzling cameo during that 2-1 FA Cup final defeat to Man City back in 2023, the former Atletico Madrid kid scored the opener as the Red Devils took revenge 12 months on.
This time, he not only found the net from open play but also from the penalty spot; Garnacho doing what Jadon Sancho and Jonny Evans could not as he fired home from 12 yards.
“(Garnacho does) what all the really good players do,” Keane adds. “The really, really good players impact the game. And every time he is on the pitch, he impacts it.
“When he comes onto the pitch, I kind of expect that of him now. You know he was going to create something.”
Roy Keane full of praise for Man United star
Two footed, always direct, and equally comfortably going by the byline or cutting inside to shoot, one can only imagine what it feels like as a full-back going head to head with arguably the most unpredictable member of Ten Hag’s attacking roster.
“If you are a defender, you don’t want to mark him,” Keane feels. “Because you know he is going to create problems.”
After ending last season with a goal against Man City at Wembley, Garnacho starts the new campaign in exactly the same way.
The challenge for him now is to add more consistency and ruthless in the final third, though he does already have a season with a double-figures goals tally under his belt.
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