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Man Utd £65m gamble is more high-risk than it was a few days ago - for 2 reasons
Alejandro Garnacho produced his best attacking performance for Ruben Amorim as Man United took a giant step towards Europa League qualification against Rangers.
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Manchester United were edging towards Europa League safety against Rangers when the Stretford End broke into a rendition of 'Viva Garnacho'. The winger had just bamboozled another defender to win a free-kick when his outstanding contribution over an hour was serenaded.
Alejandro Garnacho had been a problem for Rangers all night and this was his best performance of the Ruben Amorim era by some distance. The only disappointment was that his night somehow ended without a goal or an assist, but he has done enough to keep his place against Fulham on Sunday. If he's still at Old Trafford, that is.
Because that is the irony of Garnacho's performance on Thursday. It came on the day Chelsea stepped up their efforts to sign him and reminded Napoli that he might just be worth stretching the budget for. At 20 years of age, with eight caps for Argentina and 119 appearances for United under his belt, he is clearly a potential generational talent.
With 11 days of the January window remaining, United are still open to selling him. In an era of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and tightened financial controls, and at a club losing money at an alarming rate, he is a sellable asset and every penny of the £65million or so United might bank would count as pure profit in accounting terms.
The image of Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund sitting on an advertising hoarding at Old Trafford celebrating a goal is iconic now. But pure profit trumps romance in modern football, and that is a buzzkill right there.
Garnacho was the brightest United attacker on the pitch from the get go. Having looked ill at ease in this system, he looked better occupying those half spaces to the left side of the pitch, rather than the right. With Joshua Zirkzee often dropping off and moving to the left as well, it allowed Garnacho to get back towards the touchline and the areas of the pitch he craves, although it did leave United without a focal point.
It didn't take him long to show James Tavernier a clean pair of heels and none of the Rangers players on their right looked comfortable against him. Garnacho had shown he was happy to go down the outside, which put doubts in mind when he did cut in.
He stung the palms of Jack Butland with United's first shot on target and would have scored midway through the first half, with his shot heading for the back of the net until it glanced off a Rangers head and whistled over the bar.
The 20-year-old showed his work ethic soon after, making up ground on Tavernier to intercept a pass and end a Rangers attack, earning a round of applause at Old Trafford for his efforts.
Garnacho created United's first big chance of the second half, getting down the left to cut a ball back for Fernandes. His shot was deflected onto the roof of the net, but from the resulting corner Butland produced his biggest contribution to the United cause, 18 months after he left the club without making an appearance.
By now, Garnacho's confidence was building. Tight to the left touchline and deep inside his own half, he prodocued a lovely flick to Fernandes to create space and get an attack moving. The ball was immediately switched to the right and to Amad and it did make you wonder why there isn't a United side that can be built around the youthful attacking threats of the Argentine and the Ivorian.
When Amad reached the byline on the right on the hour mark, setting up a chance for Garnacho which came back off the post, that thought crystallized. Between them they have 29 goals and assists this season. Garnacho forced Butland into another smart save in the final 10 minutes, before the thrilling late drama arrived.
Losing that kind of final third impact will be a body blow to a team already short on goals. It will be even worse if he stays in the Premier League and moves to a side that should be considered rivals. If he does go, United need a plan to reinvest that cash quickly and smartly.
But the reality is United need to sell to buy and they clearly need to buy. Garnacho is collateral damage because he isn't a natural fit in this system and he's a player other clubs would spend big on it. The Stretford End's song was a reminder that if he does go, it won't go down well with supporters.
