Erik ten Hag has been told by former Manchester United midfielder Paul Parker what he must do to turn Alejandro Garnacho into a Ballon d’Or winner, because the teenager has the “potential”, apparently.
Always opinionated, normally weird, Parker turned into Plato in a warning to Marcus Rashford on Tuesday, and is now tipping Garnacho – who’s got three goals and five assists in 28 Premier League appearances – to win the Ballon d’Or, though he doesn’t want to “put too much pressure” on him.
We very much doubt he gives a sh*t what you say, Paul.
“Garnacho is way better when he is being subbed on than when he is in the starting lineup,” Parker told MyBettingSites (via Express).
“It seems like he doesn’t have the energy to play 90 minutes but he is a really talented player. I would even say Ballon D’or potential but I don’t want to put too much pressure on a young lad like him. And he still has a lot to learn but he has a massive potential.
“I’m very pleased that he seems to sign a new contract now, which was the right decision for him. He shouldn’t be playing for Juventus or Real Madrid, that wouldn’t make any sense.
“The fact that he now signs a new contract will also make Erik ten Hag focus a bit more on his development. He has to work with his mentality because he is not disciplined enough on and outside the pitch.”
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After United’s 2-2 draw with Leeds last month, in which Garnacho scored, manager Erik ten Hag offered the 18-year-old some advice.
“He is doing well, he has an impact on our game, he is a threat, also [against Leeds], he had good actions, he was lively, created chances, but had to score,” Ten Hag said.
“And finally, it’s about that – that you have an effect. As a striker you have to at least be on the scoring list, the assist list, the key action list, to have the right impact.
“Of course, we expect him also to do the other stuff [such as pressing] but as a Man United player, we expect you to have an impact to influence the score, to influence the result, to positively influence the game by scoring goals and having an assist.”
