One Manchester United player may well feel unlucky following the Red Devils’ 1-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor.
Alejandro Garnacho has not featured much for Manchester United so far this season, having not started since the second game of the campaign.
The Argentine broke through at United last season, scoring five goals and providing a further five assists for Erik ten Hag’s side.
The winger seemed to be a fixture in the United team and was seemingly on the right track to becoming the key player for the Red Devils but he has not featured as regularly as he would have liked in recent weeks.
Garnacho’s sliding door moment
During the defeat against Arsenal, Garnacho was wheeling away in celebration during the 88th minute and it looked like his calm finish was going to give United the win.
But the goal was offside and United went on to lose the game at the Emirates Stadium.
This seemed to be Garnacho’s sliding door moment, had the goal stood, it could be possible the winger could have been playing more.
The reality for Garnacho, however, is that the Argentine is has not yet won Erik ten Hag over as a regular starter.
He is competing with Marcus Rashford for a spot on the left, while United have also toyed with formations in recent weeks, going from a 4-3-3 to a 4-3-1-2 without wingers.
Why Garnacho must start
It was certainly a harsh decision for the winger to not be involved at all against Burnley but Ten Hag was happy with the solidity and decided to leave Garnacho on the bench.
Tuesday’s game against Crystal Palace represents the best opportunity for Garnacho to start a game and try and make an impact on the team.
The winger offers a unique profile as a winger. Marcus Rashford aside, the Argentine is the only winger United have who is willing to take on his man, which is certainly a unique profile as a winger.
The Argentinian strikes fear into the opposition. This may well be why he is more of a substitute than a starter, having to deal with a fresh 19-year-old winger as a tiring defender is certainly not ideal for opposing players.
Garnacho too needs to perform and pay back the trust that Ten Hag will put in him. His two starts early in the campaign were not productive, and this has led to his lack of gametime since.
