"He’s got an appetite and real courage to play" - Gary Neville names the one Manchester United star who has impressed him
Manchester United legend Gary Neville named young forward Alejandro Garnacho as the only player to impress him in their defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, December 30. The pundit spoke in the aftermath of the 2-1 victory by Forest at the City Ground in the Premier League.
Nottingham Forest were winless in four home games stretching back to the time of Steve Cooper at the club and were keen to find a home win. The Red Devils, on the other hand, were on a run of four successive away matches without a win.
Manchester United overcame a two-goal deficit to defeat Aston Villa in midweek and were hopeful of the same momentum carrying them to victory.However, Erik ten Hag's side were in for a rude shock as they fell flat on their faces against a determined Nottingham Forest side.
Like every Manchester United fan, Gary Neville was left disappointed with the result after seeing his club fall to another defeat. The former right-back, however, reserved some praise for 19-year-old Argentinean forward Garnacho for his hunger and fight.
He said via United in Focus:
“Garnacho aside, I think he’s got something, he’s got an appetite and real courage to play. I have to say the rest of them, to be fair, I mean… we’ve said enough haven’t we? It’s everything. Body language, their running back, their ability to combine with each other, the skill.”
Despite being among the youngest in the squad, Alejandro Garnacho has been a positive for the club this season. The youngster set up Marcus Rashford to score the equaliser at Forest, showing great anticipation and awareness.
Garnacho has contributed five goals and two assists in 26 appearances across competitions for Manchester United this season. The former Atletico Madrid prodigy is one of the side's most consistent players and is expected to be a key player in the club's future.
Manchester United continue to disappoint as 2023 ends
The win over Aston Villa was expected to be a turning point for Manchester United this season, but they followed it up with another poor showing. The Nottingham Forest defeat ensured that Ten Hag's side have now lost five matches in December for the first time in the club's history since 1933.
The Red Devils have lost exactly half of their games across competitions (14/28) this season. They find themselves out of the running for every title bar the FA Cup. They are nine points shy of the top four in the Premier League and 11 points behind league leaders Liverpool despite having played a game more.
The arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS Group as minority shareholders is expected to coincide with an upturn in the fortunes of the club. Time is ticking for ten Hag to find a way to turn things around, or he may soon find himself out of a job.