Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Now on the periphery at Villa Park, the decline of former Manchester United man, Alejandro Garnacho, has been rather stark in recent years.
Having been given the boot by Ruben Amorim, prior to enduring a dismal debut campaign at Chelsea, the Argentine certainly hasn't done himself any favours of late, left looking like a shadow of the player who burst onto the scene four years ago.
Indeed, it's easy to forget just what a sensation he was in those early United days, the star of the club's most recent FA Youth Cup success subsequently forcing his way into Erik ten Hag's first-team plans.
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He memorably announced himself on the Premier League stage against Fulham in November 2022, with Craven Cottage the venue for the Red Devils' next top-flight test on Sunday afternoon.
Remembering Garnacho's breakout moment vs Fulham
It felt at the time, watching on at Old Trafford for that Youth Cup showpiece, that a star was being born in front of our very eyes, Garnacho netting a brace in that 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest.
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Issues regarding his attitude - the first sign of trouble, it must be said - did halt his first-team progression that summer, although Ten Hag gradually put Garnacho into the mix at the start of the 2022/23 campaign, with the likes of Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga just not cutting it.
A first goal came his way against Real Sociedad, supplied by his hero, Cristiano Ronaldo, while the then-teenager really made his mark in the win over Fulham just a week or so later, coming off the bench to make the difference.
With the game drifting toward a draw in west London, United's number 49 latched onto Christian Eriksen's threaded pass in stoppage time, bursting into the Fulham box in blistering fashion.
He subsequently had the presence of mind to slot home so casually, producing a jubilant celebration afterwards in front of a frenzied away end.
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It was a much-needed win in what was the final fixture before an extended break for the Qatar World Cup, United signing off in style to maintain their top-four push.
The parallels are there to see in the present day, with Michael Carrick's men needing to stop the rot on Sunday and ensure they don't head into this looming international break as the Premier League's crisis club.
Why Carrick needs to start Man Utd's new Garnacho
Looking back to that night at the Cottage four years ago, it's worth noting that Garnacho's moment did get a little overshadowed in the aftermath.
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Man Utd XI vs Fulham - 13 Nov 2022
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The reason? Well, a certain Piers Morgan dropped his bombshell interview with the aforementioned Ronaldo, the Portuguese icon laying bare his frustration with Ten Hag and the club as a whole.
It was the type of saga that felt commonplace at United at the time, yet also something the club had moved away from across 2025/26, with Amorim's self-implosion the only real off-field saga.
Ronaldo Garnacho
Well, JJ Gabriel has since given the Amazon cameras plenty to feast on in that sense, the 15-year-old's future a significant talking point amid his desire to leave Old Trafford.
It's a debacle that Carrick and co could do without, with Gabriel's likely exit, alongside the midweek defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, having sadly pushed Shea Lacey's achievements into the background.
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The Englishman's first goal for the club on his first start came after an intriguingly timed social media post in the wake of the Gabriel news, the 19-year-old making his feelings clear when kissing the badge following Wednesday's opener.
Gabriel, like Ronaldo in 2022, is dominating the headlines right now, but Lacey can be United's poster boy instead, with the trip to Fulham set to provide the chance for a Garnacho moment of his own.
Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Having been eased in gradually last term, albeit while seeing red in the FA Cup defeat to Brighton, Lacey now looks truly ready to take his chance under Carrick, producing a sparkling display in midweek.
The manner in which he rifled home while off balance really was breathtaking, having also turned his man in the second-half with a sublime piece of skill on the half-way line.
He's far from the finished article, yet at a time when Carrick's attack looks a little lifeless, the young Englishman could be the breath of fresh air that is needed.
Like in the case of Garnacho, so often Carrington provides the solution for United, with far too many of the first-team crop currently failing to perform.
It wouldn't be a surprise to see Lacey, in the ongoing absence of Amad, given the nod again against Alvaro Arbeloa's men on the right flank, with that inclusion allowing Bryan Mbeumo to shift into a central role.
With Mathus Cunha or Marcus Rashford available off the left, the biggest casualty is likely to be Benjamin Sesko, the 23-year-old having wilted against the Seagulls last time out.
Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Lacey, at 19, looked fearless and tenacious, while Sesko, among many others, was anything but, almost comically spurning a chance to attack in the second-half after bizarrely dawdling on the ball.
The £66.4m Slovenian just couldn't make it stick, nor could his replacement, Joshua Zirkzee, with the pair serving a reminder as to why Carrick so often favours a more fluid forward line in key games.
REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff
Leaving Sesko out of the starting lineup might have to be the solution on this occasion too, with Lacey now in line for a more prominent role in the attack instead.
What better time to mirror Garnacho by scoring his first Premier League goal against the Cottagers? Let's just hope his United career proves a little more fruitful than the struggling Aston Villa man.