Manchester United starlet Alejandro Garnacho is just 18 years old – and already tipped for huge things
(Image credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Manchester United youngster Alejandro Garnacho is following in a long line of Red Devils youngsters.
The club have a rich history of having an academy product on their bench stretching back before even the First World War – so with every new face comes intrigue of who could be the next Charlton, Giggs, Beckham or Scholes.
Garnacho is 18 years old and tipped to become one of the best players in the world one day – so who is he?
Manchester United: Who is Alejandro Garnacho?
Alejandro Garnacho joined the Manchester United Academy from Atletico Madrid back in October 2020. The 20-time English champions paid a fee of around £400,000 to secure the Spaniard – not a lot of money in the grand scheme of some transfer fees but a lot when you consider he was just 16, without a senior minute under his belt.
The next summer, Garnacho signed his first Premier League contract and the following season would be one in which he'd light up the Red Devils youth team. A spectacular solo effort in the FA Youth Cup win over Everton saw him nominated for the club Goal of the Month in February 2022 and after being named as an unused substitute for the Premier League matches against Norwich City, Liverpool and Arsenal, he made his senior debut in football when he came on in the 91st minute of last season's 1-1 draw against Chelsea.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Alejandro Garnacho of Manchester United look on after their side's victory against Sheriff Tiraspol at Old Trafford in October 2022 in Manchester, England. (Image credit: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
In May 2022, Garnacho helped United win the FA Youth Cup for the first time since 2011, scoring twice in the final against Nottingham Forest. At the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season, he swapped his shirt number from 75 to 49 and after substitute appearances against Brighton, Brentford and Real Sociedad, the teen made his first senior start for United in the 3-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol.
Garnacho is eligible to play for Spain and Argentina since he was born in Madrid to an Argentine mother. He made three appearances for La Roja's under-18 side before Lionel Scaloni called him up to the Argentina senior team as part of a 44-man squad for two World Cup qualifiers in March of this year. He didn't get into the field but has made appearances for the Albicelestes' under-20s.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
A right-footed left-winger compared to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Garnacho is valued at around £4.5m on Transfermarkt.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
