Alejandro Garnacho to take two steps on Cristiano Ronaldo path and stats back up Manchester United fan theory
Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho has big shoes to fill for club and country.
But while the three-cap Argentina forward may need decades to emulate Lionel Messi, the parallels with Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford are not so far-fetched.
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Teenager Garnacho has emerged as one of few positives for United boss Erik ten Hag during a largely underwhelming season.
The 19-year-old won both penalties in the 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday, dancing through the Toffees defence and proving impossible to stop.
And as the Red Devils kept their slim hopes of Champions League qualification alive, it was Garnacho's name that rang around Old Trafford.
"Viva Garnacho, viva Garnacho, running down the wing, hear United sing, viva Garnacho."
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Football chants get recycled all the time, but there is something more poignant about this one: it is, of course, intrinsically and exclusively connected to five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo.
That is one of two steps Garnacho is taking on the seldom tread path of one United's greatest ever players.
It is understood Ten Hag considered giving the winger Ronaldo's vacant no.7 shirt last summer - and it looks likely to be his before next season.
Are United getting carried away? Maybe not. The numbers back up those hoping Garnacho will become heir to the throne.
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Rather fittingly, Garnacho is set to overtake Ronaldo's 73 appearances for United as a teenager when they host Liverpool on Sunday.
Finding the back of the net has been considered a weakness for Garnacho, but he actually has more than the greatest goalscorer in football history did at the same point in time.
In 39 starts, Garnacho has scored 12 times and registered seven assists, compared to Ronaldo's ten goals and ten assists from 51 starts before the age of 20.
There are yet more statistics to suggest Garnacho is developing faster than Ronaldo did as a kid.
Ronaldo never started more than eight consecutive matches for the Red Devils during his teenage years, while Garnacho has been named in the starting XI for the last 23 matches in all competitions, dating back to November.
It is entirely possible that the Argentine will start every game between now and the end of the season, too, provided he stays fit.
The parallels do not end there. Both players won a domestic trophy during their first season in the club's senior team.
Garnacho has also shown his versatility, playing on the left or the right, something that made Ronaldo so useful during his early days under Sir Alex Ferguson.
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Like a young Ronaldo, Garnacho will often frustrate and show immaturity on the ball, but underneath is always an undeniable charisma and outrageous potential.
Nobody is saying Garnacho will go on to become the greatest player in history like Ronaldo or Messi (you can decide which).
But the stats are a meaningful reminder that Garnacho, despite some perceptions, has already built an impressive platform from which to launch an elite career.
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