‘Already Negotiating’ – Manchester United In Talks Over Deal For Forward

Manchester United’s lack of options up front has opened doors for the club’s academy talent to establish himself as a first-team regular.

Erik ten Hag has had to get creative in recent fixtures, including playing Bruno Fernandes in the right half-space against Real Sociedad due to the absence of Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho, and Antony with fitness issues.

However, the situation has led to the Dutchman giving back-to-back starts in Europe to Alejandro Garnacho.

The 18-year-old has taken his chance with both hands, impressing the manager, his teammates, and the United faithful with his direct play and pace. The goal against Real Sociedad showed his composure inside the penalty area, as well as his fine striking of the ball.

Whether he’d start against Aston Villa this weekend remains to be seen, but United are not wasting any further time to test the Argentine’s talent and are understood to be already in talks to ‘tie down their new jewel’.

According to Spanish outlet AS (via SportWitness), United are ‘already negotiating’ to extend Garnacho’s contract, which expires in 2023. The 18-year-old, who moved to Manchester from Atletico Madrid’s youth setup in 2020, prioritises playing time above anything else.

As such, the unavailability of senior stars could prove to be a blessing in disguise during the talks, with Garnacho expected to get more minutes – either from the start or off the bench – in United’s remaining three games before the World Cup break.