Aheed Abrar
Lionel Scaloni “excited” as Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho makes Argentina debut
Argentina head coach Lionel Sacaloni expressed his excitement as Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho made his debut for the South American nation.
On 15 June, the 18-year-old made his first appearance for La Albiceleste in the 2-0 friendly win over Australia in China. The youngster came on as a substitute in the 74th minute for Fiorentina’s Nicolas Gonzalez.
Argentina were already 2-0 up by that point. Lionel Messi opened the scoring for the South American in the second minute. Then, in the second half, Real Betis centre-back German Pezzella found the back of the net.
Speaking to the media after the victory via Manchester Evening News, Scaloni revealed his plan to slowly integrate Garnacho into the fold of the senior squad. However, La Albiceleste’s gaffer is looking forward to what the youngster will be able to do in the future.
“We have to go step by step. We gave him the minutes to find his feet, we don’t have to rush. We are excited with Garnacho and with all of the rest.”
United signed the Argentine winger in the summer of 2020 from Atletico Madrid. In previous years, the 18-year-old has shone in the Red Devils’ youth sides.
In the 2022/23 campaign, Erik ten Hag gave Garnacho the opportunity to make a name for himself in the first-team setup. Initially, the gaffer did not seem to trust the youngster.
However, with time, the forward made a place for himself in the Dutch manager’s plans. The Argentine put in some important performances and scored a few stoppage-time goals as he burst onto the scene.
Despite impressing for the Old Trafford side, Garnacho was unable to get into Argentina’s 2022 World Cup squad. Scaloni’s team went all the way in the tournament and beat France in the final on penalties to lift the prestigious trophy in Qatar.
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La Albiceleste have another friendly in the coming days against Indonesia. Hopefully, the 18-year-old will get to start and showcase his talent.
