Photo by Faisal Ramadhan/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Photo by Faisal Ramadhan/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Alejandro Garnacho made his Aston Villa debut against Indonesian All Stars, and Man Utd fans saw a familiar pattern repeat itself.
After being discarded by Chelsea in just one season, Alejandro Garnacho has made the £40m Man Utd got for him look like a daylight robbery.
Now at Aston Villa, Garnacho has come full circle, and it’s impossible to shake off the feeling that this is his last chance at the top level.
The Argentine made his debut against Indonesia All Stars with a 45-minute appearance, and that was enough for Man Utd fans to see a familiar pattern.
Indonesia All Stars v Aston Villa - Pre-Season Friendly Match
Photo by Faisal Ramadhan/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Man Utd fans react to Alejandro Garnacho’s Aston Villa debut
Unai Emery trusted Garnacho enough to hand him a start right away, as Villa emerged 3-1 victors.
Garnacho came off at half-time as he slowly ramps up his match fitness, but what he showed during those 45 minutes was hardly inspiring.
In fact, considering the calibre of the opposition, his failed dribbles and running into blind alleys were extremely concerning.
“He still plays like a child who hasn’t developed his technical abilities,” said one, as another agreed, “This guy hasn’t developed a bit. Still can’t handle 1v1s.”
A third fan gave an even more damning verdict, writing, “Still can’t take anyone on, don’t know what happened to the 18-year-old at Utd who looked a potential world beater.”
Another fan had no time for sympathy as they quipped, “I’ve never seen a back-to-the-goal winger in professional football,” while another said, “All I see are back passes.”
A fifth fan made a joking point about his Puskas-winning goal for Utd against Everton, “Bro sacrificed all his powers for that Puskas award.”
Another was brutal in his assessment, “He is playing like he has never kicked a football in his life. What has happened to his form?”
Finally, one fan predicted that things would only get worse for him, “From the look of things, he might return to Chelsea. I don’t see Aston Villa doing anything meaningful with him.”
Garnacho is only on loan with conditional obligations to buy, so that last prediction might well come true if he doesn’t improve.
He needs to start by breaking the familiar pattern United fans saw at Old Trafford of the fearless teenage winger who was wasteful but exciting.
The current version of Garnacho is still the same player, but even more lacking in confidence, which is a recipe for disaster.