Coach Erik ten Hag does not want Alejandro Garnacho to be compared to legends Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, after the 19-year-old scored a wonderful overhead kick in the 3-0 win over Everton.
In the third minute of the match at Goodison Park, defender Diogo Dalot crossed the ball from the right wing, slightly behind Garnacho. The 19-year-old midfielder turned around, then leaned over and hooked the ball high into the far corner, leaving goalkeeper Jordan Pickford flying as far as he could but still couldn't reach it. After scoring a masterpiece, the young Argentine star danced and spun to the familiar celebration of his idol Cristiano Ronaldo. Garnacho also made an expression implying that the goal was a masterpiece, by waving his fingers.
Garnacho scored the opening goal in Man Utd's 3-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park in the 13th round of the Premier League on November 26. Photo: Reuters
Garnacho ran to the corner of the field to celebrate the goal with the familiar spinning dance of his idol Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo: Reuters
On social media, many fans compared Garnacho's goal to Rooney's superb overhead kicks in the Manchester derby in February 2011 at Old Trafford and Ronaldo's in Real's match against Juventus in the Champions League quarter-finals in 2018.
Ten Hag praised Garnacho and said he could win the Goal of the Season award, but refused to compare his strike to those of Ronaldo or Rooney. "Don't compare, I don't think it's right," he said. "Goals have their own beauty."
The Dutch coach wants Garnacho to continue to train hard, maintain his form and score regularly if he wants to reach the level of Ronaldo or Rooney. The super goal against Everton was the Argentine midfielder's first goal in 11 Premier League matches this season.
"To reach the level of Rooney or Ronaldo, Garnacho has a lot of work to do," Ten Hag stressed. "He has to work hard and do it consistently. So far, Garnacho has not done it but has great potential to do great things. To become a player like Rooney or Ronaldo, you have to score 20, 25 goals in the Premier League. That is not easy."
Ten Hag was also pleased that all three of Man Utd's goals were scored by the attack, respectively Garnacho, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. Before the match against Everton, the "Red Devils" attack only scored one goal - Rashford's strike in the 1-3 defeat at Arsenal in September.
Ten Hag was delighted after the win over Everton. Photo: X / Man Utd
"The three Man Utd strikers scored and that was good," Ten Hag said. "That's what we need, the strikers playing to their potential, scoring goals because that helps us as a team. The team needs that to be successful, that's for sure. The goals also give them confidence and we have to maintain that in the next games."
The 3-0 scoreline did not reflect the reality of the game, where United struggled, managing just nine shots with four on target - compared to Everton's 24 and six. United won by at least three goals away from home in the Premier League for the first time despite having fewer shots than their opponents since a 3-0 win over Everton in October 2015.
The result at Goodison Park helped Man Utd return to the top 6 of the Premier League, six points behind leaders Arsenal. Ten Hag's team also received more motivation and confidence ahead of their away trip to Galatasaray in the penultimate match of Group A of the Champions League on November 29.
Hong Duy
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