Former Manchester United goalkeeper, Peter Schmeichel, has claimed that Alejandro Garnacho has amazing potential but needs to be coached better.
The Dane’s comments come after the Argentine’s performance against Arsenal where he was heavily involved in the second half action but his efforts were often fruitless as his end product was wasteful.
His performance resulted in pundit Gary Lineker claiming that the player’s final ball was “awful” during the match.
Peter Schmeichel has also added to this by claiming that in spite of the 19 year old’s obvious talent, he is not being coached properly at the club.
Speaking to Premier League Productions he criticised United’s overall attacking system.
“It’s all about when you get the ball, I am going to try and score a goal. I am not going to look at any teammates. I am just going to try myself. There doesn’t seem to be a system or an idea of when we do this, these are your options and this is what you can do or that is what you can do.”
The legendary keeper then turned his attention to the academy product and stated, “I think someone like Garnacho today is a great example that doesn’t work. I am watching Garnacho, who had the ball so many times on the left, and I am hoping for him, for now and again, to do something different. But, every time, he is trying to finish it himself – He needs to be coached a little.”
The Champions League winning keeper explained that this lack of coaching makes the player predictable and allowed the Gunners to handle everything he threw at them despite his best efforts.
“You can’t do the same thing every time… He has pace, yes, but he has players up there that are options. Other options … He’s not challenging or changing his angle.”
However, Schmeichel refused to place too much blame on the youngster and pointed the finger of blame at the United coaching staff.
“I am not criticising him as such because he is a young man and full of energy. But he is up against possibly the best defenders in the league. They will suss him out like that very quickly, therefore, you need to put some variation in what you are doing.”
The pundit was not all critical however, as he paid a massive compliment to the attacker’s talent, but he fears it is not being utilised properly.
“He is a great player and prospect. He could be one of the best players in the Premier League, without a shadow of a doubt. He has done so many good things, but in the last month or two, it kind of feels like every time he gets the ball, he thinks he has to finish it.”
The former keeper’s fears are well-founded as despite starting the season well, the Argentine’s campaign has fizzled out as of late.
To be fair, Garnacho has been overplayed and at 19 years old, he bears too much responsibility to make things happen up top, especially with Bruno Fernandes injured.
He has played 47 times this season and has regularly been the most utilised attacking option. The youngster’s talent is there for all to see, but a regular criticism United fans have of Erik ten Hag is that the players do not seem to play to any clear patterns.
Despite the former Ajax coach’s tactical reputation, a lot of the Red Devils’ goals seem to come from moments of individual brilliance and spontaneous actions, rather than carefully planned out systems.
Worryingly, Garnacho’s performance at the weekend was eerily similar to what fans have seen of Marcus Rashford this season, running into trouble and losing the ball at will, with no clear plan of action.
With huge talents like the Argentine and Kobbie Mainoo at the club, and plenty more breaking through the academy at present, it is vital that they receive the education they deserve to maximise their obvious talent.
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