Teenage sensation shaking off nerves to follow in steps of club's famous son

THE word from United is Alejandro Garnacho is still nervous around the media.

-  SAMUEL LUCKHURST

He did not look it when he conducted a post-match interview on the pitch on Saturday.

Garnacho ended it by clutching the man of the match award, turning to the Stretford End and raising his hands to milk the acclaim of the crowd. He has been doing that for nearly two years.

The Stretford End sang 'Viva Garnacho' as United celebrated their FA Youth Cup triumph in May 2022. Cristiano Ronaldo was approaching the beginning of the end of his homecoming at United and the chant signalled a gradual changing of the guard.

In the Old Trafford dressing room before the final against Nottingham Forest, a motivational message Ronaldo had recorded was played to the United youngsters. With the game deadlocked at 1-1, the 17-year-old Garnacho made it 2-1 and he killed the contest with a second goal.

Hours before it emerged Ronaldo had conducted an unauthorised and incendiary interview with Talk TV, Garnacho cutely prodded in an added-time winner at Fulham in November 2022. It was at the same Putney End nearly 16 years earlier that Ronaldo secured a memorable victory.

The parallels between the Iberians continue. As Ronaldo's old chant goes, Garnacho can play on the left and play on the right.

He made Everton's defenders look 's--e' by procuring two penalties.

Four players Fulham were booked for fouling Garnacho a fortnight earlier.