Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho : Becoming The Face of United Attack

Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho have become a source of delight in the Manchester United attack and have earned the right to the keys of the wings heading into the new season.

Despite the presence of the club’s very own golden son in Marcus Rashford, and a couple of others who arrived as marque signings, it is in the form of a skinny teenager from Atletico Madrid and a supposedly misplaced priority signing from Atalanta that at this time based on recent evidence, lie their hopes of a better future.

Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo have become integral parts of the set-up at Manchester United as the club starts to cut its loss on several expensive but incapacitated acquisitions.

Garnacho, much earlier, and Diallo more recently, the two are starting to manifest the promise behold, and only they look deserving of the starting spots ahead of the other wingers at United.

Garnacho, who arrived from Atletico Madrid in 2020 as a developing youngster, a few days after his 15th birthday has made more than 80 first team appearances since his debut in the 2021-22 season, and last season sealed his place in the Manchester United XI.

The 20-year-old played on the opposite flank while Marcus Rashford was steadily deployed on the left. However, the emergence of Amad Diallo posses a threat to that position, and having stepped up his game deserves to start ahead of the Mancunian golden son.

Amad Diallo cost the United a fortune when he joined from Serie A side Atalanta in January 2021, a few months after Garnacho arrived. However, the platform he had to star was with the youth team. Hence, he was sent out on loan, impressing at both Rangers and Sunderland.

Both Amad and Garnacho are now ready to take up huge responsibilities in the new season, under a new football administration at Manchester United, as fans anticipate the birth of a more fortuitous era.

The persistent spending and obsession

A club with a proud history like Manchester United never settles for less. Hence, hundreds of millions have been splashed on the signing of attackers in their bid to restore lost pride.

A trip down the memory lane, and one would discover that the Red Devils were used to having world beaters in attack. From the days of late Sir Bobby Charlton in the 60s and the 70s, to David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie in the late 90s and the 21st century, they paraded the best talents around.

In their continuous effort to keep up with the standard, United had in recent years either spend big or signed a big name attacker. This strategy has seen the likes of Radamel Falcao, Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial, Memphis Depay and even Edinson Cavani all doned the famous red and black but none of these names really performed up to the demanded standard, consistently.

More recently, huge investments on Jadon Sancho and Antony haven’t yielded the best of results, while Rasmus Hojlund battled with injuries and inconsistency in his debut season at the club.

Although the Dane showed a glimpse of what he can do, a big question remains if he’ll ever get to do it in a way required of a player at a top club, which is consistently.

Cristiano Ronaldo, perhaps has been the only player to have exceeded the curve following his return to the club after 12 years in the summer of 2021, but the Portuguese was never a sustainable solution as he is already approaching the end of his career.

He eventually departed for Al Nassr in late 2022. At some point, it became difficult to really attract players given their predicament. A club whose troubles appeared to know no end.

From the sacking of managers to clashes with fans and controversies amongst players, it was an environment to avoid as the Theater of dreams turned to that of nightmare. The protest against the owners did little to help matters as the fans demanded that the Glazers leave their club.

Despite their huge investments since the retirement and departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, Manchester United appeared to be stagnated, with evidence of neither projection nor direction. Someone has to take responsibility, and for the fans, who better be blamed than the owner ?

The rise to prominence of their city rivals Manchester City also somehow heightened the pressure, but after years of playing catchup, many have retired to the reality that the Cityzens’ dominance is here to stay.

However, United has the responsibility of taking care of their own present, and in the form of both Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo, the promising future envisioned could finally be taking shape.

The story, though, did not have a pleasing start for some, most especially Amad Diallo, who wasn’t a signing that would have been anticipated taking into account what was considered priority at the time.

Hostility in camp amidst Amad Diallo signing

Amidst their uncertainties, Manchester United forked out around €40 million add-ons included, for the signing of an 18-year-old Amad Diallo in January 2021.

The move wasn’t particularly pleasing to fans, not only because the fee was too much for a player who will first head into youth team but also for the fact that he was the only signing of that window.

In addition, Diallo, despite being rated as one of the most promising talent in Europe, had only featured in five senior appearances. He was a risk taken by the club. An expensive risk.

After a couple of first team appearances in his first 12 months in England, he would go on to spend the the next 18 months on loan at Rangers and Sunderland, where he grow from a teenager into a real star.

While in Scotland for the second-half of the 2021-22 season, Amad Diallo won the Scottish Cup and reached the UEFA Europa League final with Rangers, a season after he was also part of the Man United squad that lost to Villarreal in the final of the competition in Gdansk.

The 2022-23 season was spent at Sunderland, where he made 39 Championship appearances, scored 14 goals and three assists and won the Fans’ Player of the Year award, ahead of Chuba Akpom, Nathan Tella and Iliman Ndiaye.

He had already become a star, and United fans couldn’t wait to have him back at their club. Unfortunately, injury limited his involvement last season. Diallo missed 27 games in 2023-24 season due to injury.

He featured just 12 times, scored two goals, including that famous added time winner against Liverpool in the Emirates FA Cup quarter finals.

A lot of players thrive on loan but failed at their parent clubs. It was the thought about Diallo for some, until towards the tail end of last season that many became really convinced that the Ivorian can and will deliver at Manchester United.

Credits for Alejandro Garnacho signing

In October 2020, Manchester United parted with £420,000 to sign 16-year-old Alejandro Garnacho from the Academy of Atletico Madrid, where he had been since joining from Getafe in 2015.

Credits for the scouting work did to uncover such potential, but at a club of the statue of Atletico Madrid, more credits should be afforded for luring him away.

Garnacho went straight into the youth set-up but signed his first professional contract less than a year later, following his astonishing contributions in youth competitions, including United’s run to win the FA Youth Cup in 2022.

Garnacho won the top scorer award in the competition, which he concluded with a two goal performance in the 3-1 final win over Nottingham Forest, while he also picked up the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award.

All those were start of what would be a marvelous journey at the club as the Argentine is now one of, if not the major threat in United attack since the start of last season.

One of his most notable attributes is his maturity on the pitch. Despite his young age of 20, Garnacho displays a level of composure and decision-making that belies his years. Typic examples were his displays in his last two competitive games for United.

Garnacho is not just a future star—he is already proving to be a vital player for Manchester United and will leave Erik Ten Hag with a big decision to make in the new season.

Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho : Becoming real stars of Man United attack

Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho, two players with immense talent have now earned the license to mount the width in attack for Manchester United in the upcoming season.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Erik Ten Hag will hand them both the keys with Marcus Rashford, though lacking in form at the moment, still ranks high in the pecking order.

An alteration to Amad-Garncho wingmen in Erik Ten Hag’s selection to face Fulham in Old Trafford this Friday night in the Premier League curtain raiser will raise a lot of eyebrows.

Both players bring something unique to the table. Amad, with his creativity, technical prowess, ability to bring others into the game and overall, the form he is on, positions him ahead of his competitors in Antony and Jadon Sancho, the latter who did not do his chances any good following his penalty miss in the Community Shield loss.

Alejandro Garnacho, pacey, direct, and goal-scoring ability, is at the moment at the top of his game and the manager wouldn’t want to break that rhythm.

The Argentine scored in his last two competitive games for Manchester United, both against Manchester City in the Emirates FA Cup final and the Community Shield clash in Wembley.

Despite the presence of Marcus Rashford, Garnacho has made himself inevitable, and the poor form of the English forward has also helped Garnacho stake his claim on the starting spot the left whilst Amad, a natural fit for the right-wing position has become a threat.

Together, the youngsters offer a dynamic and versatile option for United’s forward line. They are also in better form than Marcus Rashford who has scored a total of 131 goals in the colours of Manchester United, more than any of the current players in the team.

The duo of Amad and Garnacho can help get the best out of their strikers in Rasmus Hojlund and summer signing Joshua Zirkzee, either of whom will form a young and sensational trident with the two wingers.

Erik Ten Hag, who already has a reputation of developing youngsters will take full credits for coming up with this duo albeit he wasn’t responsible for their signing, he is the manager that give them both the chance at Manchester United.

However, a headache awaiting the former Ajax coach when the season gets into full flow will be managing both Garnacho and Rashford on the left-wing as at the moment, it is the former Atletico Madrid youngster who deserves to have that spot to himself.

Rashford, again, was not convincing in the Community Shield loss to Manchester City on Sunday, missing two glorious chances, including hitting the post after being set-up by Alejandro Garnacho after the interval.

The future of United’s attack looks bright with Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho leading the charge. These two young stars have all the requirements to project the new project at the club.

After a very good preseason for both players, they now have to maintain the momentum when the pressure of the new season adds to the one brought by the competitive nature of the Premier League.

In the game against Fulham on Friday night, Manchester United will be looking to start their season on a positive note and eyes will be fixed on both Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho to work magic, when they are on the pitch.

They have both proven to be capable and in them, Manchester United finally have a recognizable dual winger, and the time is there for them to make mistakes, learn, improve and overall, have their own names written in the folklore of Manchester United.

Hassan Afolabi