There have been a few surprises at Manchester United this season, and not all of them have been positives.
One pleasant surprise has been the way Jonny Evans has rewound the clock, showing his class and quality in Manchester United’s defence.
Evans himself will probably be shocked about how much he has played,and he has been needed amid a defensive injury crisis.
But there is another player who has stood out as a surprise to Jonny Evans, according to former United teammate Rio Ferdinand.
Jonny Evans surprised by Alejandro Garnacho
Alejandro Garnacho has performed well at Manchester United this season after a fairly slow start to 2023/24, recently recalled into the Argentina national team.
Speaking to Five, Rio Ferdinand says he spoke to Jonny Evans at Carrington just last week, and said the young winger was a topic of conversation.
Ferdinand explains: “I went to Carrington the other day to so some filming and I was with Jonny Evans and Daren Fletcher.
“Jonny Evans says he comes back to Manchester United, and sees the players, and you know what to expect from him etc, etc, and he said I just thought Alejandro Garnacho would be an impact player from the bench.
“He’s one of our main, go to guys now. that tells you [about] his development, he’s 19-years-old.”
Alejandro Garnacho is making his mark
Alejandro Garnacho is the only Manchester United player to feature in every single matchday squad this season. That’s a testament to his reliability, as well as his ability.
Evans had a point, of course. Heading into the season, Garnacho’s preferred role was on the left wing, a position occupied by last season’s top goalscorer Marcus Rashford.
But with Rashford losing form, or having to fill in up front, Garnacho began to get more starting opportunities.
In late December, the decision was made to play Garnacho on the right wing, allowing United to select Rashford in his favoured role, and get both players on the pitch together.
Garnacho was named as man of the match in the team’s 2-0 win over Everton at the weekend, winning both penalties, the first time a player has done so in the same game for United in the Premier League era.
He has managed to score seven goals this season and provide a further three assists, and he is not done yet.