Spanish media picked out Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee as Manchester United's two dangermen in their 1-1 draw with Real Sociedad in the UEFA Europa League.
Garnacho and Zirkzee linked up in the 57th minute for the Red Devils' opener at Reale Arena on Thursday evening (March 6), which was cancelled out by a Mikel Oyarzabal penalty in the 70th minute. Ruben Amorim named the attacking pair on either side of out-of-form Rasmus Hojlund, and they were the visitors' main threats.
The opening goal came when Diogo Dalot played the ball out to Garnacho on the right, who found Zirkzee on the edge of the box, and the Dutch attacker swept the ball past Alex Remiro. It was a deserved lead, and the forward pair were impressive in San Sebastian as the Reds somewhat bounced back from crashing out of the FA Cup to Fulham last weekend.
The United pair caught the eye
There's not been much for United to rave about this season but promising displays from Garnacho and Zirkzee will please Amorim with the pressure growing on the Portuguese coach. He raised some eyebrows by putting Garnacho out on the right rather than the left, but the plan worked as Zirkzee was the better option to work the ball to an overlapping Patrick Dorgu on the left and cut into a central number 10 role.
Spanish outlet AS believes the Red Devils have the advantage heading back to Old Trafford after last night's encounter. They highlighted the performances of Garnacho and Zirkzee:
"Manchester United looked for a more vertical style of football, constantly playing behind the Real Sociedad defence to take advantage of the speed of Garnacho and Zirkzee, who were the players who created the most danger."
They were also impressed by the goal explaining how Garnacho started creating 'a lot of danger' before Zirkzee was left alone to fire past Remiro.
Alejandro Garnacho and Joshua Zirkzee's vs Real Sociedad
Player
Minutes Played
Goals
Assists
Shots on target
Shots off target
Touches
Accurate Passes
Key Passes
Long Balls (acc.)
Ground Duels Won
Aerial Duels Won
Garnacho, 20, and Zirkzee, 23, have spent much of the season with their futures the subject of speculation. The Argentina international was linked with a January exit amid INEOS trying to improve the club's financial situation, but Napoli, who were keen, refused to meet their reported £70 million valuation. He has been in and out of Amorim's starting XI, and while he's not been as consistent as last season, he's been a bright spark.
Zirkzee arrived at Old Trafford last summer and was immediately miss-profiled by the Red Devils, viewed as a number nine when his best work comes as a ten. He looked to be on his way out amid links to Juventus after being booed by his own fans in a 2-0 Newcastle United defeat but has shown resilience to win them over, and he's outshining a struggling Hojlund.
All statistics courtesy ofSofaScore- correct as of 07/03/2025.
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