Man United have completed the signing of teenage striker Alejandro Garnacho from Atletico
According to the Manchester Evening News, Man United have completed the signing of teenage striker Alejandro Garnacho from Atletico Madrid to bolster their youth ranks.
As per the report, the Red Devils have already agreed on a deal with the La Liga outfit, and the 16-year-old is expected to arrive from Spain later this week. It has been claimed that he will be quarantined for 14 days before joining his new teammates on the training ground.
Garnacho had also been on the radar of other European heavyweights like Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund but United used their pulling power to successfully fend off competition for the highly-rated striker. (h/t Daily Mail)
Born in Getafe, Spain, Alejandro Garnacho joined Atletico Madrid’s youth system back in 2015 and quickly established himself as one of the club’s brightest young prospects. The teenager ripped defences apart in the youth league while playing for Atletico’s Infantil B and also became Spain’s top goalscorer at that level in 2016.
The right-footed ace also made a handful of appearances for Atletico’s U-19 side, despite being only 16. According to the Daily Mail, Garnacho has been profiled as a technically-gifted forward with superb ball-control and someone who is a nightmare to defend against.
Manchester United have largely focussed on strengthening their academy ranks this summer after spending heavily on the likes of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Daniel James and Bruno Fernandes over the past couple of transfer windows.
While the arrival of Donny van de Beek from Ajax caused a considerable stir, it is the club’s youth recruitment drive that has grabbed the headlines on multiple occasions.
In fact, the acquisition of Alejandro Garnacho represents a third successive raid on the Spanish market this window following the capture of teenagers Marc Jurado from Barcelona and Alvaro Fernandez from Real Madrid.
United have also signed three other 16-year-olds in Logan Pye, Joe Hugill and Radek Vitek to increase competition for places in their U-18 ranks. Garnacho is expected to compete with Hugill and Dillon Hoogewerf for a spot in the U-18 side.
The Spaniard certainly needs more time and experience before making a gradual transition to senior men’s football, but his prolific youth record in Spain suggests that he has all the raw materials to evolve into a top-quality striker moving forward.
The Red Devils have scoured the Spanish market for some highly-rated talents like Mateo Mejia and Arnau Puigmal in the recent past. The arrival of Jurado, Fernandez, and Garnacho in the same window represents a continuation of the same policy.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has shown a lot of faith in the club’s academy prospects since taking charge towards the end of 2018. The Norwegian’s persistence with youth has worked wonders for Mason Greenwood while Marcus Rashford has also made significant strides in terms of goal returns.
United need to ensure that the supply line of top-quality talents from the academy to the first-team continues in the years to come. Having said that, the arrival of Alejandro Garnacho certainly strikes the right chords and this looks like a move that could pay off handsomely for the club’s long-term plans.