Alejandro Garnacho’s fall at Manchester United has been as swift as his rise, which was meteoric, and Harry Maguire has sent him an indirect reality check.
When it comes to being on the fringes of Man Utd and being derided by fans, not many players know that feeling better than Harry Maguire.
Maguire has come back from the brink multiple times to become a true leader of the dressing room today, rebuilding his reputation with the fans.
Speaking to Rio Ferdinand, Maguire has now given an indirect reality check to Alejandro Garnacho, who is on the brink too, but has shown zero interest in scripting a comeback story.
Alejandro Garnacho and Harry Maguire of Manchester United look dejected
Photo by Will Palmer/Sportsphoto/Allstar Via Getty Images
Harry Maguire’s thinly-veiled message to Alejandro Garnacho
Garnacho had the world at his feet when he broke through at Old Trafford, but, in many ways, getting the “saviour” billing so early in his career is probably what hurt him later.
When Ruben Amorim came in and wanted to bring him down to earth, Garnacho didn’t take kindly to it, and his stubborn stance on his departure this summer has only soured feelings further.
Garnacho is quickly becoming a learning case for both the club and the player on how not to handle a youth prospect’s breakthrough, and how to keep feet on the ground when breaking through, respectively.
Maguire, the model professional at the club, didn’t name Garnacho directly, but it was impossible to hear his words and not be reminded of the Argentinian.
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He said: “For a young boy coming into it, you have no fear. Once you make a couple of mistakes, people, after a couple of seasons, start expecting things from you. That’s when the real test comes.
“A lot of people at Man Utd break through, in one or two years, they are worshipped. After the second year, you start getting questioned, and the form dips. It happens so much.”
Ruben Amorim has already learned from Garnacho error
Amorim wasn’t the one who handled Garnacho’s breakthrough, and by the time he arrived, the player was already beyond saving.
However, it’s clear from the Man Utd manager’s handling of youth prospects since then that he’s already learned from the mistakes the club made with Garnacho.
He has been keen to downplay their rise as much as possible, while trying to prop up hard-working youngsters like Tyler Fredricson, who might not be as flashy as Garnacho, but are model professionals.
The gauntlet has been laid. A player’s mentality and attitude will play a bigger part in accelerating their breakthrough than pure talent.
Great pains have been taken in resetting the vibe of the United dressing room. Only model professionals are allowed inside now.
As Maguire said, Garnacho’s fall is unfortunate, but it’s not the first time that a meteoric rise has hurt the player’s prospects when he should truly be peaking.