Manchester United are incredibly excited to see young forward Alejandro Garancho starting alongside Cristiano Ronaldo against FC Sheriff in their Europa League clash today (October 27).
Ronaldo is back in the starting lineup for the clash at Old Trafford after he was left out of the Red Devils’ squad to face Chelsea in the Premier League.
He previously refused to come on as a substitute during the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur and subsequently stormed down the tunnel before full-time.
On the few occasions that the Portuguese striker has played this season, he has done little to impress. He has scored just twice in 12 appearances across all competitions. However, Manchester United fans appear hopeful that a number of fresh players could spark the five-time Ballon d’Or winner into life.
Erik ten Hag has named Garancho in his starting lineup for the first time this season and will make only his sixth senior appearance of his young career. The 18-year-old joined the Red Devils from Atletico Madrid in 2020. He is a highly regarded left-winger, with expectations extremely high for the Argentinian.
Garancho starts among a fairly strong Manchester United team and will gain the invaluable experience of starting alongside a legend like Ronaldo. Before kickoff, supporters took to Twitter to express their excitement at seeing the teenager finally get a chance in the starting XI:
Thierry Henry highlights problem Cristiano Ronaldo has at Manchester United
Speaking after Ronaldo stormed down the tunnel against Tottenham, Thierry Henry was asked if he believes the forward still has a future at Old Trafford. The Arsenal legend believes the Manchester United No. 7 needs to get used to not being the main man anymore.
Henry proclaimed (as per The Manchester Evening News):
“It is not an easy one, but for the boss, he is here for the team, not Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano is part of the team and you need to find that solution. At times, he [Erik ten Hag] has to play without him and what’s difficult is when people talk about him.”
He added:
“He will talk about what he has done in the game and not many people can sit on his table who have achieved what he has, but it is about what he is currently doing and what he is doing is not what he used to.”