Alejandro Garnacho, an 18-year-old Argentine attacker, scored the decisive goal at the Reale Arena in Spain, his debut start in an away game under Erik ten Hag.
Garnacho was the first player from the Reds’ 2022 FA Youth Cup-winning squad to make the United XI in a competitive match, and he dazzled down the left flank, showing drive and ambition to overcome his opponents and cause disruption.
He had earlier, before the away game, had his first home start at Old Trafford, where he played 78 minutes against Moldovan side FC Sheriff.
It is not surprising that Erik ten Hag stayed with the same forward line against Sheriff last Thursday night, pairing Cristiano Ronaldo and Alejandro Garnacho as the side faced Imanol Alguacil’s squad.
The teenage Argentine striker opened his senior goal account for the club after sprinting forward on the left side of the attack to collect Cristiano Ronaldo’s slide-rule ball and beat goalkeeper Alex Remiro with an exquisite strike.
It brought back memories of other academy graduates scoring in a senior away encounter, especially on Spanish soil; most recently, Anthony Elanga, a Reds Academy product, scored an 80th-minute equaliser against Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano last February.
Marcus Rashford, United’s current top scorer under Erik ten Hag, scored in away games against Granada in April 2021, which United won 2-0, and Valencia in December 2018, which the Reds lost 2-1, and Celta Vigo in May 2017, which United won 1-0.
Going back further, Danny Welbeck had a memorable night when he put the Reds ahead on Spanish soil. However, United’s lead at the Santiago Bernabeu lasted just from the 20th to the 30th minutes until Ronaldo, then wearing Real Madrid’s famed all-white uniform, levelled things for the hosts, and the game eventually ended 1-1.
The most intriguing feature of the Reds’ teenage record is two exceptional players from the Class of ’92: Paul Scholes, who scored against Deportivo La Coruna in 2001, and David Beckham, who scored when the team triumphed by a score of 2-0 in 2002 after losing to them the year before.
Alejandro Garnacho, aged 18 years and 125 days, has become Manchester United’s youngest non-English goalscorer in major European competition, surpassing George Best, who scored against Djurgårdens IF in 1964 at the age of 18 years and 158 days.
He credited the moment after his first away fixture to Cristiano Ronaldo and his official Twitter handle, @agarnacho7, with the caption, “18 years and 125 days dreaming of this moment. Thanks Idol, @Cristiano.”
