How Garnacho shook the super-sub tag and became key Man Utd man

No matter what happens from here until the end of the season, Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho has achieved something big. Domething many try, and fail, to do. 

The Argentine has successfully emerged from the "super sub" cocoon: a paradoxical, curious place in which players simultaneously thrive and suffer. You’re both in the team, and you’re not; you’re turned to in the hour of need, but all being well you’re left aside.  

Any player can find themselves stuck inside this cocoon - even some of the game’s greats, like Olivier Giroud or Teddy Sheringham. When you become so good at impacting games from the bench, it becomes both a blessing and a curse. It can be very difficult to take the next step, either because it’s hard to change your own image, or you’re just less effective against fresher legs. 

These players often bounce through an awkward cycle of being decisive off the bench, earning a start off the back of it, then flattering to deceive and dropping back to the bench. Perhaps another bright cameo follows, but soon after, a quiet 60 minutes will usher them back out of the XI again. 

Garnacho has watched several players around him do this, even in his short time around the United first-team. Most notable among them are Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga, who are clearly very talented, but could not "stick" in the United XI. 

Each case is different, but the underlying reality is that it’s really hard to take that step from "super sub" to a consistently impactful starter. It’s even more difficult to do so at a superclub, who are capable of spending £80+ million on wingers in consecutive summers in a mad scrabble to improve at light speed. They don’t have to wait. 

But Garnacho has done it. He’s started 20 Premier League games this season and made six substitute appearances, building on last season’s reverse ratio of five starts and 14 cameos. He’s progressed from stepping off the bench and zipping past tired legs in the closing stages to becoming a reliable, threatening 90-minute presence for the Red Devils.  

In doing so, he’s put up good production: five goals and three assists from 1,774 league minutes is decent sledding. That’s despite a position tweak from left wing to right wing, and he scored what might end up as the Goal of the Season with that overhead kick at Goodison Park. 

He leads the team in a number of revealing metrics: Progressive carries (118), carries into the final third (55), carries into the penalty area (66) and fouls drawn that have led to a shot (9). He won two penalties against Everton and won Player of the Match as his strengths took centre stage. He’s electric-fast, extremely direct and can change the face of a game in an instant. 

The way United play, the game always feels stretched - sometimes irresponsibly so. While that forces the midfield and defensive lines to suffer, it lays the perfect foundation for Garnacho to tear in on goal 10 times a game and steadily hone his decision-making in the final third. His pass and shot selection still need time to mature, but he’s making progress. 

During a difficult, confusing and at times downright weird season for Manchester United, he - along with Kobbie Mainoo, Andre Onana and Bruno Fernandes - have given fans regular reminders that at least some of the future pieces are in place, and that there’s a core to build around. 

Erik ten Hag certainly seems to be aware of that. Despite being so young, he demands a lot of him. He publicly criticises his poorer performances in situations where many would coddle a player; when he performs well, he waxes lyrical, insisting he could go on to do amazing things. 

Garnacho, meanwhile, seems to take it all in his stride. Still just 19, the leap he’s made this season is incredible, and there’s far, far more to come.