The Red Devils secured his signature as a 16-year-old in October 2020, luring him away from Atletico Madrid for a compensation fee of just £100,000.
The deal was made all the more impressive considering academy director Nick Cox had to contend with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, sealing the agreement via a video call in his spare bedroom.
Garnacho didn’t waste much time to impress in United’s youth ranks and heavily contributed to the FA Youth Cup win in 2022 before becoming a permanent fixture of the first team later that year.
He made his Premier League debut against Chelsea in April 2022 before his first senior goal, a stoppage-time winner at Fulham, came in his fifth appearance.
Now 19, Garnacho has forced his way into the front and centre of Erik ten Hag’s plans, starting his 25th consecutive game in Sunday’s FA Cup win against Liverpool.
Already an Argentina international, he wowed with his endurance in a 120-minute display of athleticism and assisted Amad Diallo’s incredible last-gasp winning goal.
Garnacho has found his calling as United’s first-choice right winger, and he will only get better as his appearance tally, already at 74 games, increases.
However, the Red Devils could struggle to keep hold of one of their most prized assets if another La Liga heavyweight comes calling.
Garnacho’s rise has coincided with an acceptance that the Madrid-born starlet will be keen to return at some point in his career.
And TyC Sports report that the United No. 17 dreams of signing for Real further down the line amid reported interest from Florentino Perez.
In 2009, Ronaldo broke United fans’ hearts when he called quits on his time in M16 to pursue a dream move to the Santiago Bernabeu.
He had wanted to leave the previous summer after helping Sir Alex Ferguson to the Champions League but was convinced to stay for one more season, during which he lifted a third successive Premier League.
Ronaldo became the world’s most expensive footballer after his £80million switch, but United struggled to fill the void.
Garnacho’s future is locked in for now, having signed a new contract until 2028 last year. But there could already be preparations taking place at Old Trafford for Los Blancos to arrive at the negotiation table.
