“Stick with him” - Rio Ferdinand tells Manchester United not to sell ‘devastating’ player after win over Lyon
Rio Ferdinand has urged Manchester United to keep Alejandro Garnacho after their Europa League quarterfinal win over Lyon. He has claimed that the Argentine is a 'devastating' player and will be a threat in the attack.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Ferdinand heaped praise on Garnacho and stated that he was always running into spaces and causing problems for the opponents. He wants his former side to keep hold of the youngster and said via TEAMtalk:
“When there’s space to run into, Alejandro Garnacho can be a real devastating threat. Yes, he needs to work on that end product but he’s still a young and improving player so that will come. Stick with him. I believe Manchester United should stick with him.”
It was not the first time Ferdinand spoke in support of Garnacho. Last week on his podcast, the Manchester United legend claimed that fans needed to be patient with the youngster as he was not a finished product like Cristiano Ronaldo. He said via MEN:
"Decision-making is the last thing that clicks for young players. Only the superstar ones get it right at a young age. [Cristiano] Ronaldo wasn’t a decision-maker when he came in as a kid. The biggest thing players like Ronaldo had — those who weren’t the finished article — was that they were given time. We’re expecting Garnacho to be the finished article now."
"Who says he won’t improve with time, with good coaching, by observing good practices from professionals around him, and by being in the right environment? I think we expect too much — from Garnacho and many young players. I’ve been guilty of that, too. I’m not comparing him to Ronaldo as a player, but I still see enough in this kid, especially in what is currently a bang-average team."
Chelsea and Napoli were linked with a move for Alejandro Garnacho in the winter window. Manchester United were reportedly ready to sell the winger for £70 million and are still open to selling him.
Rio Ferdinand on Manchester United's win over Lyon
Rio Ferdinand spoke about Manchester United's dramatic 5-4 win over Lyon in the Europa League quarterfinal second leg and claimed that it was something he had never witnessed as a fan. He admitted that fans were leaving the stadium after the penalty to Lyon that made the scoreline 4-2 with 11 minutes to go in extra time.
He said via TEAMtalk:
“I’ve never seen anything like that as a spectator. It was an amazing thing. We saw so many fans leaving when it was 4-2 and you thought that was over. I said on commentary it would take more than a miracle to get back into it and now I’m actually a believer because that was outrageous.”
Manchester United won 7-6 on aggregate, with five goals coming in extra time on Thursday night (April 17). Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire scored in the final seven minutes of the game to make it 5-4 on the night.