Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag says Alejandro Garnacho has “space for a lot of improvement” despite an impressive goalscoring display in his side’s League Cup win over Crystal Palace.
The Red Devils progressed into the fourth round courtesy of a routine 3-0 victory, with Garnacho opening the scoring in the 21st minute.
It was the Argentinian’s first start for United since August 20 – and only his third of the season – and afterwards Ten Hag outlined the reasons why Garnacho has been a peripheral first-team figure.
“You have seen at the start of the season we played him, his contribution was not good enough,” the Dutch coach said, per the Manchester Evening News.
“But he also had some good actions. You see always he is a threat in the game even when he is not playing that well.
“He has to learn when he does his job in defending he will always have his moment and he will always be decisive because he has great qualities.”
Ten Hag added his belief that Garnacho can “act on a very high level”, but called on the 19-year-old to show it consistently.
“I think it is quite normal for a player of his age that there is space for a lot of improvement,” he said.
“Everyone likes him, the fans like him, the team likes him, I like him but we also have to demand from him and push him because he can act on a very high level but he has to show it every day.”
