Manchester United were the only team remaining unbeaten in the Europa League group stages this season on Thursday, defeating FCSB’s attack 2-0 at the National Arena in Bucharest.
After placing third in the group stage, they won and went directly to the Round of 16. The victory was guaranteed by goals from Diogo Dalot and Kobbie Mainoo in the second half.
Even if the midfield whiz will take all the credit, Ruben Amorim will once again be pleased with the contribution Alejandro Garnacho gave to the match after coming on as a second-half substitute.
With all of the transfer rumors going around, the 20-year-old must have had trouble focusing on the present match. Many more experienced athletes are perplexed by the circulating data, but the Argentine is not.
Outstanding effect immediately after the benchUnited played somewhat slowly in the first half, concentrating on holding onto the ball and creating few clear-cut opportunities.
The Argentina international, however, changed everything and almost had an immediate impact when he intercepted a poor play and went right at the FCSB goal, only to have his last attempt strike the post and miss.
The Carrington graduate never lets a miss bring him down, despite the fact that he just played 45 minutes. He always had a positive attitude and took on his opponent when he got the ball. He finished with five dribbles, more than any other player on the team.
He created one important opportunity, made two important passes, and helped Mainoo score the goal. The United No. 17 also failed in one attempt.
Garnacho ought to stay.As his head coach had anticipated, the former Atletico Madrid star was also a force out of possession, winning four free kicks and nine duels with his skillful and quick feet.
The left winger had 36 ball touches and an accuracy percentage of 84 percent at the end of the game. A friend who has one long ball was also discovered by him (all stats via sofascore).
Since Amorim excluded him from the Manchester derby squad, Garnacho has fought his way back by listening to the coach and improving his on- and off-field play.
Despite a difficult season, he has contributed 14 goals, and the club would be severely hurt if they lost such a talented player, especially to a direct local rival like Chelsea.
Given that Napoli could possibly pose a threat, it will be interesting to see where Garnacho ends up after February 3.