“He is a very fast player, he has incredible ability,” Angel Di Maria told Argentina newspaper Ole when asked to assess the potential of his new international team-mate Alejandro Garnacho. “He has a very big future. It depends on him, on his head, to be able to handle it. There’s a reason he’s playing for Manchester United.”

Garnacho made his senior debut for Argentina as an 18-year-old back in June, and is now being touted for a leading role in the team ahead of their Copa America and World Cup defences. But Di Maria’s glowing endorsement came with a caveat.

“The only thing I wouldn’t do is celebrate like Cristiano [Ronaldo],” the former Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain star added. “I would score the goal and I would do like [Lionel] Messi does. I’ll stick with that.”

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Just days after the publication of that interview, Garnacho appeared to copy one of Ronaldo’s most famous celebrations, when the Portuguese superstar sat on the advertising boards after scoring for Real against Atletico Madrid in the 2017 Champions League semi-finals. The significance of Garnacho’s second goal against West Ham on Sunday pales in comparison, but it felt like a big statement from the teenager, even if it wasn’t intended as a direct response to Di Maria.

Garnacho was United’s standout player in the 3-0 victory, which reignited their hopes of a top-four Premier League finish, but this is only the beginning. Ronaldo is one of the greatest players to have ever graced the hallowed Old Trafford turf, and Garnacho looks determined to tread the same path – which is a mindset that should be encouraged by everyone in his orbit.

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  Living up to ‘young Cristiano’ billing

  The 2023-24 season has been a miserable one for United, who still have very little to cheer about despite winning four of their last five games in all competitions. Erik ten Hag’s men are eight points adrift of the Champions League qualification spots and only have the FA Cup left to play for in terms of silverware, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal currently way ahead of the Red Devils in English football’s pecking order.

  United have generally been dour to watch, too, with a lack of quality and commitment across the pitch all too visible, but Garnacho has been the one real ray of light. In 27 appearances to date, the talented teenager has recorded nine goal contributions, including another brace in a thrilling comeback victory over Aston Villa on Boxing Day.

  That was Garnacho’s 13th successive start for United; Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t even get to eight in a row until his 20th birthday. The Argentina international is so far more than living up to the “young Cristiano” billing he was given by Paul Scholes back in October 2022.

  At that time, Ronaldo was on hand to guide Garnacho, who clearly soaked up every ounce of wisdom he could from the five-time Ballon d’Or winner before his acrimonious departure the following month. Garnacho is every bit as fearless, direct and skilful as Ronaldo was in his early days at Old Trafford, with United already looking to him to make the difference despite his tender age.

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  Sparking Hojlund into life

  Garnacho is also now playing in Ronaldo’s position, having been moved from the left flank to the right for the first time on that fateful night against Villa. United looked blunt in attack before Ten Hag made that change, with Brazilian flop Antony once again failing to live up to expectations, but a balance has finally been struck with Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojund making up the front three.

  As per Sky Sports, no player has attempted more on-on-one take-ons than Garnacho in the Premier League since that game (24), and he’s completed 12 of them, which is the third-best record. The fact he is also ninth for chances created further highlights that he is now one of the most effective wingers in the division.

  Hojlund broke Villa hearts with a dramatic late winner, which was the Danish striker’s first Premier League goal since his £73 million ($92m) summer move from Atalanta, and he’s finally starting to prove he was worth the huge investment. The 21-year-old has now scored in four successive games, including his crucial opener against West Ham, and the signs suggest he and Garnacho could forge a special partnership.

  “A month ago there was a lot of talk about us [Hojlund and Garnacho] not scoring enough goals, but we are both young and growing every day,” Hojlund told reporters at the weekend. “You can see the connection between us.”

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  ‘Has to make his own name’

  Garnacho could well go on to become a player that marks his generation, but he has probably already set the bar too high when it comes to the best goal of his career. Everton were the unlucky opponents in November when Garnacho scored a remarkable overhead kick from the far side of the box, which brought back fond memories of a similar effort from Wayne Rooney against Manchester City in 2011.

  Comparisons were also inevitably drawn with Ronaldo’s incredible bicycle kick for Madrid against Juventus in 2018, and that effort certainly seemed to be what came to Garnacho’s mind first as he wheeled away to perform his idol’s trademark ‘Siuuu’ celebration. He pulled the same move a few days later when scoring in the Champions League against Galatasaray, opening himself up to criticism in the process.

  “What I didn’t understand is why he celebrates like Cristiano?” former Barcelona and Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal said on Twitch. “He has to make his own name.” And, after being called up to Argentina’s international camp for December, Garnacho learned the harsh reality of siding with Ronaldo over Messi in the eternal GOAT battle.

  “We joked about it with him. He is very shy and does not answer,” Leandro Paredes told DSports. “Poor guy, we drove him crazy. He got very nervous and couldn’t talk. He always followed him [Ronaldo] a lot and he plays quite similar. But when he comes to the national team, he has to change a little bit.”

  The good thing for United is that Garnacho is refusing to change anything about his approach to improving at club level. Messi has always maximised his magical, God-given talents, but Ronaldo stayed on his coattails through sheer will and strength of character.

  Even now, at the ripe old age of 39, the Al-Nassr forward is still the first on the training pitch and the last to leave. There is no reason that Garnacho can’t follow Ronaldo’s proven blueprint for success and still “make his own name”.

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  Room for improvement

  “Still a long way for him to be like Cristiano, but he’s getting his steps,” Bruno Fernandes said after witnessing Garnacho’s wondergoal at Goodison Park. “He wants to be something special in the world of football and I think he has the capability to do that.”

  Fernandes is absolutely right, but if Garnacho is to get even close to the same level as Ronaldo, he has to learn how to conduct himself properly. Although it is unfair to expect a 19-year-old to be a faultless professional, there have been times when his lack of maturity has stoked up controversy.

  Garnacho scuffed the penalty spot before Copenhagen’s Jordan Larsson missed the chance to equalise against Manchester United with a last-minute spot kick in the Champions League group stage. Incredibly, the teenager repeated the trick when the two teams met again in Denmark, and even though Diogo Goncalves was still able to convert and Copenhagen went on to earn a 4-3 victory, his actions left a bitter taste.

  “It is the second time. To me he is a clown,” Copenhagen defender Denis Vavro told Bold.dk. “He has the mentality of a child when he tries something like this again.”

  An innocent but ill-advised tweet of support to under-fire goalkeeper Andre Onana earlier in the season also put Garnacho under the spotlight for the wrong reasons, and it will be necessary for him to put more thought into everything he says and does, on and off the pitch.

  As much as Fernandes is a great admirer of Garnacho, he has also been frustrated with his young team-mate’s decision-making at times, most recently in United’s 4-2 FA Cup fourth-round win over Newport County. When Ten Hag’s side were cruising at 2-0 up, Garnacho chose to shoot from a tight angle instead of squaring the ball for the Portugal international or Hojlund, both of whom were in better positions.

  Newport then staged an unlikely comeback, and Fernandes aimed a thinly-veiled dig at Garnacho after United were forced to earn the win the hard way. “We had chances to make it 3-0 but, when you go 2-0 up in these types of games, everyone wants to score and get their goal and sometimes we don’t get the best decision for the team,” he said.

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  Uncertain times at Old Trafford

  In Garnacho’s defence, he is having to grow up fast as one of the main men in this dysfunctional United squad. Ronaldo also initially moved to Old Trafford at the start of a transitional period for the club in 2003, but he had world-class players like Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand to look up to.

  United were still competing on multiple trophy fronts, and the former Sporting CP winger blossomed quickly because he was given the freedom to express himself while the more seasoned members of the squad assumed leadership responsibilities. Garnacho doesn’t have that luxury.

  There is now the promise of a return to the top of the game under new minority owners INEOS, led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but it will be a gradual process. United are short on quality in every position, and there are still too many players on the wage bill who don’t deserve to call Old Trafford home.

  Ten Hag’s position as manager has also been called into question amid persistent dressing-room leaks, and it’s far from ideal for Garnacho to be developing in such an unstable environment. Although United may feel safe in the knowledge that their prized asset is tied to a contract through to 2028, there could come a time when he is tempted to try and further his career elsewhere, with Real Madrid among those thought to be long-term admirers.

  After a decade of mediocrity, it’s high time that United start making genuine forward progress. INEOS are reportedly planning a major overhaul in the summer, and Garnacho’s future could well depend on which players come aboard for the revolution.

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  What’s next?

  Between now and the summer, United will likely continue to rely on Garnacho for inspiration. There has, at least been signs of improvement since the turn of the year, mainly because a number of key players have returned from injury, including all-action academy graduate Kobbie Mainoo.

  And Ten Hag will surely be looking at the fixture list with some real optimism for a change, with five of their next seven Premier League outings coming against clubs in the bottom 10. The only exceptions will be a trip to Aston Villa next Sunday, and a blockbuster derby clash with Manchester City on March 3.

  If United can pick up 15 points or more by the end of that run, they should be in a strong position to fight for a top-four finish again. A favourable tie awaits in the fifth round of the FA Cup, too, as they are set to face the winner of a fourth-round replay between Bristol City and Nottingham Forest.

  Confidence is building in the Red Devils’ camp for the first time this season, and Garnacho has a vital role to play if the campaign is to end on a high note. With Ronaldo’s winner’s mentality already burned into his psyche, the Argentine can rise to the challenge, and bring United back to where they should be.