[AltiUn]

Only a matter of time….

We always get worried about our players leaving for Madrid but how often do they actually end up good enough for Madrid to want to poach them? Garnacho is a great talent but for Madrid to want him he has to be the best of the best.

 

[Nicolarra90]

We always get worried about our players leaving for Madrid but how often do they actually end up good enough for Madrid to want to poach them? Garnacho is a great talent but for Madrid to want him he has to be the best of the best.

He will be

 

[AltiUn]

He will be

We've said that before. Let's see how he gets on.

 

[JJ12]

We always get worried about our players leaving for Madrid but how often do they actually end up good enough for Madrid to want to poach them? Garnacho is a great talent but for Madrid to want him he has to be the best of the best.

It's depressing but probably accurate to think if certain players become best in class they are Madrid bound.

 

[El Jefe]

I’ve got to give it to him. There’s definitely something about him. In terms of general wing play he doesn’t impress me that much but he seems to have an ability to make things happen when he’s on the pitch.

When Antony plays there’s a terrible feeling of hopelessness and with Sancho it all felt one paced and pointless. Garnacho adds the Manchester United player factor of being energetic, brave and looking to be decisive.

His game still has a lot of improvement needed but one thing about him I like is he definitely seems like he wants it. He looks to be the type that wants to be a star here and you can never be upset with that.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

It's depressing but probably accurate to think if certain players become best in class they are Madrid bound.

We are lucky that if he ever gets to be that good that Madrid want him that Vini, Rodrigo and Mbappe are not much older than him.

 

[Rolaholic]

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Modern obsession with inverted wingers, and the thought of garnacho being a teenager and the easiest thing for him was not playing him "out of position"... Right wing is definitely natural to him though, he's not as good on the left.

I actually disagree with it being "natural", but in a sense that's why he's been better there. On the left every instinct is for him to cut inside and look for a shooting opportunity on his stronger foot. On the right he can't do that so it's not automatically what he defaults to when he receives the ball so he's more likely to get his head up and look for what is actually the best option. Essentially improving his decision making by force.

 

[Shark]

The only proper United, goal scoring winger we've seen since the days of Nani and Valencia, and there's posters here nit-picking on a 19 year olds sometimes inconsistent decision making. Never change, Caf.

 

[AltiUn]

The only proper United, goal scoring winger we've seen at United since the days of Nani and Valencia, and there's posters here nitpicking on a 19 year olds sometimes inconsistent decision making. Never change, Caf.

It's not really nit-picking, if you're part of the first team on a consistent basis then you are under a microscope.

 

[Shark]

It's not really nit-picking, if you're part of the first team on a consistent basis then you are under a microscope.

He's a ridiculously talented teenager who's doing the business. More so than players like Alexis Sanchez in recent years. It's definitely nit-picking.

 

[TheReligion]

I feel he’s gone under the radar this season due to it not being a good one for the team and the excitement about Mainoo.

His progression has been steady though and to think he’s only 19 but made himself a starter in the front three is impressive based on how he was integrated last term.

 

[DJ Jeff]

Only a matter of time….

He'd have to become good enough to play for them first.

 

[bosnian_red]

Only a matter of time….

They have Vini, Rodrygo and are getting Mbappe. Sometimes it just works out where your star isn't chased by them even if they'd go if they did chase him.

 

[AltiUn]

I feel he’s gone under the radar this season due to it not being a good one for the team and the excitement about Mainoo.

His progression has been steady though and to think he’s only 19 but made himself a starter in the front three is impressive based on how he was integrated last term.

He's been a revelation since moving to the right, he's managed to earn both wing spots throughout the season.

 

[mu4c_20le]

Only a matter of time….

Spoiler

 

[criticalanalysis]

I think Garnacho on the left is one-dimensional. I think on the right he is more unpredictable. He varies between cutting inside and going on the outside, as well as he is able to feint and use dribbles inside the box. He also varies his crosses more - sometimes an early cross or a pass, and sometimes he goes to the byline. On the left, he cuts inside 9/10 times. I think his dribbling and take-on ability will improve if he is able to gain that little bit more acceleration and top speed. Nani was a brilliant dribbler - arguably better than Ronaldo, but he became more efficient at it when he stopped trying to look good and realised he was simply faster than pretty much any fullback and subsequently became more direct in his approach.

I don't think Garnacho will reach Ronaldo's level, but he can reach a level of a very good PL winger and maybe even world class, who knows - but thinking any good prospect will ever reach those heights iwhen it s nigh on impossible may cause too much expectations.

I'm really not sure who he reminds me most of.

I think Dalot's recent form and chemistry with Garnacho has had quite a bit of a helping hand to our right wing these past several games. I really hope Garnacho picks up an extra step, top speed or upper body strength but I have my doubts as it's not something easily gained if they didn't have it already. He's got more than enough of a first step and agility to create that space, it's just the awareness of when and how to use his body. As someone has alluded already, if he improves his off the ball movement, he could have a Sterling-esque impact.

As for Nani, totally agree, that 18 month period was glorious and he was my favourite player to watch. He was arguably the only player, who I thought was truly 'world class' with his press resistance, touch, technique, dribbling ability and all around play. He was definitely a better dribbler than Ronaldo but then it's probably unfair to compare their trajectories. Young Ronaldo was too much flair that had genuine dribbling penetration but by the time he was getting better as a player, shifted his focus on goal scoring and a transitional player on the ball.

 

[Faetheshire86]

Heard an interesting stat on skysports that only Foden has created more chances from ball carries in the league this season. They didn't provide numbers, but did say Garnacho is 5 ahead of Salah.

I was half expecting a bit of a downturn this season. Second season syndrome is real for young, dynamic players like him, but he has taken the transition from impact sub to first team player in his stride. The move to the right has been fruitful as well. I don't really think he is doing much different, but him being able to play to the best of his abilities on the other wing, benefits the team hugely. Having two wide players that need to be respected provides us with more balance in our attack.

My one criticism is sometimes I feel like you can tell early when a defender has the better of him and he hasn't quite learned to adapt his game to be effective in these situations. I'm sure this will come with time though. Crazy that he is still a teenager.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

The only doubt with regards to him is how loose he can be in possession. He doesn’t have that quality in tight spaces you usually associate with too wide players - that extra time on the ball. What he does have is tenacity, directness and thus far a really strong mentality. As long as he tightens up the former (even if he’s no Musiala type player) and works very hard on upping his end product he’ll be fine.

I didnt his chance creation (as mentioned above) was so good of late. He doesn’t really strike me as much of a passer or creative force but good stuff if so.

Hi versatility is a big positive too. We’ve had too many wingers who fall apart completely when switching flanks.

 

[RedRonaldo]

The only doubt with regards to him is how loose he can be in possession. He doesn’t have that quality in tight spaces you usually associate with too wide players - that extra time on the ball. What he does have is tenacity, directness and thus far a really strong mentality. As long as he tightens up the former (even if he’s no Musiala type player) and works very hard on upping his end product he’ll be fine.

I didnt his chance creation (as mentioned above) was so good of late. He doesn’t really strike me as much of a passer or creative force but good stuff if so.

Hi versatility is a big positive too. We’ve had too many wingers who fall apart completely when switching flanks.

He is only 19 and we are not expecting a Messi. As long as he keeps on opening things up in the final third, and pose constant threats from the wing, I'll be more than happy.

 

[tenpoless]

Only a matter of time….

Well there are only two options. So he's not wrong.
But if you ask Real Madrid or Barcelona or Manchester United under INEOS and Jimmy Christ, he'll choose United any day of the week.

 

[Rossa]

I think Dalot's recent form and chemistry with Garnacho has had quite a bit of a helping hand to our right wing these past several games. I really hope Garnacho picks up an extra step, top speed or upper body strength but I have my doubts as it's not something easily gained if they didn't have it already. He's got more than enough of a first step and agility to create that space, it's just the awareness of when and how to use his body. As someone has alluded already, if he improves his off the ball movement, he could have a Sterling-esque impact.

As for Nani, totally agree, that 18 month period was glorious and he was my favourite player to watch. He was arguably the only player, who I thought was truly 'world class' with his press resistance, touch, technique, dribbling ability and all around play. He was definitely a better dribbler than Ronaldo but then it's probably unfair to compare their trajectories. Young Ronaldo was too much flair that had genuine dribbling penetration but by the time he was getting better as a player, shifted his focus on goal scoring and a transitional player on the ball.

Dalot is creating space for Garnacho, no doubt. A player like Bernardo Silva still looks a heck of a lot faster than he did when he arrived at City, so with proper training, you can improve considerably. It takes dedication, but I think Garnacho has that in him.

Nani was brilliant to watch. Especially in those 18 months where he really hit that sweet spot between entertaining, being direct and more efficient. Surprisingly, he easily beat Clichy in a 40 yard foot race, and after that, it was like his self confidence went up a notch, and he became more direct instead of always trying some fancy dribble. I remember for a couple of matches, Ferguson used Valencia as fullback with Nani in front - it actually felt like cheating. Must have been a nightmare for opposition defenders. Ah, the days...

 

[Rossa]

Heard an interesting stat on skysports that only Foden has created more chances from ball carries in the league this season. They didn't provide numbers, but did say Garnacho is 5 ahead of Salah.

I was half expecting a bit of a downturn this season. Second season syndrome is real for young, dynamic players like him, but he has taken the transition from impact sub to first team player in his stride. The move to the right has been fruitful as well. I don't really think he is doing much different, but him being able to play to the best of his abilities on the other wing, benefits the team hugely. Having two wide players that need to be respected provides us with more balance in our attack.

My one criticism is sometimes I feel like you can tell early when a defender has the better of him and he hasn't quite learned to adapt his game to be effective in these situations. I'm sure this will come with time though. Crazy that he is still a teenager.

Agree with this. That last paragraph is also very true. However, in the frist half he was dominated by WHs fullback, but Garnacho really turned the tables in that second half and improved massively - got past him, out-paced him, scored two goals... that's the mentality we want to see.

 

[SAFMUTD]

He will be

They have Vinicius and Rodrygo who are both 23 and currently superior players to Garnacho. Of course there's always the risk they come calling and it's obvious Garnacho it's a fan but they seem to have their bases covered for the short and medium term.

 

[Nicolarra90]

They have Vinicius and Rodrygo who are both 23 and currently superior players to Garnacho. Of course there's always the risk they come calling and it's obvious Garnacho it's a fan but they seem to have their bases covered for the short and medium term.

Hopefully. But Madrid always want the latest shiny toy. They will surely be involved everytime the contract is close to expiring.

 

[Tiber]

Hopefully. But Madrid always want the latest shiny toy. They will surely be involved everytime the contract is close to expiring.

Would be hard to blame him when the alternative is a never ending fight for 4th

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Isn't Ronaldo the only player we've had that left us for Madrid when we wanted him to stay? Which happened 15 years ago...

The Madrid fear always comes up when we have a young player budding into a real talent but it's not exactly like there is much precedence.

 

[Irwin99]

I swear people misremember Ronaldo's first three years here. He was definitely ahead of where Garnacho is right now in terms of physicality and skill but his decision making and inconsistency could be horrifically bad at times, which is natural for any young winger. I remember when Chelsea smashed us 3-0 at their place or when Benfica beat us in the Champions League that year and Ronaldo's performances were shockingly bad. The very next year he went on to have one of the best seasons i've ever seen a player have at the club. I'm not saying Garnacho will end up the same but you have to have a bit patience.

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

I swear people misremember Ronaldo's first three years here. He was definitely ahead of where Garnacho is right now in terms of physicality and skill but his decision making and inconsistency could be horrifically bad at times, which is natural for any young winger. I remember when Chelsea smashed us 3-0 at their place or when Benfica beat us in the Champions League that year and Ronaldo's performances were shockingly bad. The very next year he went on to have one of the best seasons i've ever seen a player have at the club. I'm not saying Garnacho will end up the same but you have to have a bit patience.

No doubt, young wingers are bound to be some of the most inconsistent young players because so much of your game is played in isolation and needing to "make something happen" so the spotlight will be on you every game. Compared to a young midfielder or defender that just needs to keep things ticking or avoid mistakes while bedding in.

It certainly feels like the game has already slowed down a bit for Garnacho compared to just last year though. Watching him last season he was a pure one trick pony at times where if his take ons weren't working he'd be out of ideas.

 

[andersj]

If you want to be the best, you have to play against the best. For a few years, he will not be able to do that at Real Madrid.

 

[criticalanalysis]

Dalot is creating space for Garnacho, no doubt. A player like Bernardo Silva still looks a heck of a lot faster than he did when he arrived at City, so with proper training, you can improve considerably. It takes dedication, but I think Garnacho has that in him.

Nani was brilliant to watch. Especially in those 18 months where he really hit that sweet spot between entertaining, being direct and more efficient. Surprisingly, he easily beat Clichy in a 40 yard foot race, and after that, it was like his self confidence went up a notch, and he became more direct instead of always trying some fancy dribble. I remember for a couple of matches, Ferguson used Valencia as fullback with Nani in front - it actually felt like cheating. Must have been a nightmare for opposition defenders. Ah, the days...

On the bolded bit are you saying Silva got quicker after moving to City from Monaco? @JPRouve thoughts?

I recall thinking they got an ace of a player on their hands, who had deceptive speed due to his elite ball control, low centre of gravity and ridiculous stamina; I don't think that's really changed unless we're talking about Guardiola's Barcelona doctors?

To go back to the Ronaldo comparison, I think Garnacho has similarly great straight line speed but not elite dribbling/change of pace speed when needing to take players on from a standstill (as it requires a different skill/mindset). Whereas, Nani always had that great first AND second step of speed but only used it properly later when his game matured like you said as he realised it was more effective; it also helped that he became bit of a beast physically as well.

In my mind, I think Garnacho can improve as a dribbler/wide player but it will be mostly mental (off the ball runs, less touches, one-twos etc) rather than him gaining an extra step.

 

[JPRouve]

On the bolded bit are you saying Silva got quicker after moving to City from Monaco? @JPRouve thoughts?

I recall thinking they got an ace of a player on their hands, who had deceptive speed due to his elite ball control, low centre of gravity and ridiculous stamina; I don't think that's really changed unless we're talking about Guardiola's Barcelona doctors?

To go back to the Ronaldo comparison, I think Garnacho has similarly great straight line speed but not elite dribbling/change of pace speed when needing to take players on from a standstill (as it requires a different skill/mindset). Whereas, Nani always had that great first AND second step of speed but only used it properly later when his game matured like you said as he realised it was more effective; it also helped that he became bit of a beast physically as well.

In my mind, I think Garnacho can improve as a dribbler/wide player but it will be mostly mental (off the ball runs, less touches, one-twos etc) rather than him gaining an extra step.

I have no idea how anyone can make that suggestion. The man was leading transitions at a lethal pace for Monaco.

 

[criticalanalysis]

I have no idea how anyone can make that suggestion. The man was leading transitions at a lethal pace for Monaco.

cheers.

Not trying to call you out or anything @Rossa!

 

[Rossa]

cheers.

Not trying to call you out or anything @Rossa!

No worries. I hold my hands up. That’s only the 74th time I’ve been wrong since Wednesday.

 

[JPRouve]

No worries. I hold my hands up. That’s only the 74th time I’ve been wrong since Wednesday.

You are not the first person to suggest it but I always struggled with this because we are talking about someone that has this strange ability to start a transition in his own third and also find himself at the end of it within seconds. For Monaco when it came to sprinting I would only put Mbappé and Sidibé definitely above him, it just happens that he isn't a pace merchant, he relies a lot more on his technique than his pace but he always had the pace and acceleration, he is also stronger than he looks.

 

[Teja]

I swear people misremember Ronaldo's first three years here. He was definitely ahead of where Garnacho is right now in terms of physicality and skill but his decision making and inconsistency could be horrifically bad at times, which is natural for any young winger. I remember when Chelsea smashed us 3-0 at their place or when Benfica beat us in the Champions League that year and Ronaldo's performances were shockingly bad. The very next year he went on to have one of the best seasons i've ever seen a player have at the club. I'm not saying Garnacho will end up the same but you have to have a bit patience.

Did Ronaldo's decision making ever get significantly better? Sure he cut out the tricks and step overs from his early days but he got to a point where he was so good that he just finished all his chances and didn't really have to find teammates. Even if someone else was through on goal, it was fine if he took the shot from a bad angle because Ronaldo.

 

[Irwin99]

Did Ronaldo's decision making ever get significantly better? Sure he cut out the tricks and step overs from his early days but he got to a point where he was so good that he just finished all his chances and didn't really have to find teammates. Even if someone else was through on goal, it was fine if he took the shot from a bad angle because Ronaldo.

As I remember there was significant improvement in 05-06 and he made the PFA team of the year that season but he put some absolutely wretched performances too, like I said against Benfica and Chelsea. In the Benfica game he was subbed off after doing a completely stupid trick of keeping the ball in the air for about 4 or 5 seconds and then gave the middle finger to the Benfica fans as he was subbed . The Chelsea performance wasn't much better, in fact it was worse.

I'm too lazy to look up the stats but i'm sure he doubled his assist tally the following year 06-07 and he doubled his goals scored too. I don't think i've ever seen a player improve so much in one season as he did that year in every part of his game. Decision making was definitely part of that, hence the increase in assists.

 

[Teja]

As I remember there was significant improvement in 05-06 and he made the PFA team of the year that season but he put some absolutely wretched performances too, like I said against Benfica and Chelsea. In the Benfica game he was subbed off after doing a completely stupid trick of keeping the ball in the air for about 4 or 5 seconds and then gave the middle finger to the Benfica fans as he was subbed . The Chelsea performance wasn't much better, in fact it was worse.

I'm too lazy to look up the stats but i'm sure he doubled his assist tally the following year 06-07 and he doubled his goals scored too. I don't think i've ever seen a player improve so much in one season as he did that year in every part of his game. Decision making was definitely part of that, hence the increase in assists.

I believe it, I only started watching United in 06/07 so that's the only version of Ronaldo I know. Even from 06/07 to 07/08 and 08/09 he cut out a bunch of flair from his game and became a goalscoring monster.

 

[criticalanalysis]

You are not the first person to suggest it but I always struggled with this because we are talking about someone that has this strange ability to start a transition in his own third and also find himself at the end of it within seconds. For Monaco when it came to sprinting I would only put Mbappé and Sidibé definitely above him, it just happens that he isn't a pace merchant, he relies a lot more on his technique than his pace but he always had the pace and acceleration, he is also stronger than he looks.

That's very specific so I am wrong in thinking Mendy was pretty fast as well? Either that or his long strides gave the impression he covered more ground than I thought.

 

[JPRouve]

That's very specific so I am wrong in thinking Mendy was pretty fast as well? Either that or his long strides gave the impression he covered more ground than I thought.

When fit he is fast but Mendy being fairly unprofessional, he was often not in the best shape. The same applies to his stamina.