Rio Ferdinand and Marcus Rashford are in full agreement over Alejandro Garnacho's impact for Manchester United.
The 18-year-old starlet proved himself again on Saturday with a vital contribution in the Red Devils' epic 2-1 victory over Manchester City on derby day. Brought on by manager Erik ten Hag as Untied trailed 1-0 with 18 minutes of normal time remaining, Garnacho provided a much-needed spark down the left flank and registered the all-important assist for star man Rashford's winning goal.
It was the Spanish-born winger's seventh Premier League appearance of the season, and as club legend Ferdinand explained, Garnacho 'came on and changed the game'. "I looked at the bench and saw three centre-halves and I was thinking, 'Wow, the depth isn't really there'," the ex-Red Devils defender admitted on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel following the madness at Old Trafford.
"But Garnacho comes on and changes the game. He is saying to the manager, 'Get me on that pitch ASAP because I'm producing moments every time I go on. How can you make me sub?'. That's what his performances are saying and I love it. The manager is using him perfectly well at the minute because he is impacting games."
Ferdinand's comments were in line with what in-form striker Rashford had to say about Garnacho's performances in what's proving to be a breakout campaign for the teenager. After United's turnaround triumph, Rashford declared that "anything is possible" thanks to his team's greater strength in depth, with Garnacho among the wealth options which boss Ten Hag has at his disposal.
"It's a change of dynamics, and I think I've said this many times before but the options we've got coming off the bench, even when we've had injuries at times this year in the forward line," the Red Devils match-winner explained to BT Sport. "Sometimes, everyone has played out of position - Bruno [Fernandes] has today - but everyone puts in a shift.
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"We've got players like Garnacho who are young, hungry and ready to come on and make a difference - anything is possible. We're very pleased to come back, get the three points and now it’s about moving on to the next game."
Another former United defender, Wes Brown, has echoed Ferdinand's thoughts on how well Ten Hag is using Garnacho, who's already an Argentina youth international through his mother. Speaking on the Busby Babe Podcast, Brown declared: "What he's (Ten Hag is) doing with Garnacho is absolutely perfect.
"He's not given him too much time at the moment - because he is flying - but just giving him the right amount of time to keep his feet on the ground but he is an exceptional young player. Who will play many times for Manchester United."
