Erik Ten Hag calls for Alejandro Garnacho to ‘keep his feet on the ground’ and not ‘lose focus’ during the World Cup break… after the teenage star came off the bench to score Man United’s late winner against Fulham
- Alejandro Garnacho scored Man United’s winning goal against Fulham
- He will not go to the World Cup, so has over a month without a competitive game
- Erik Ten Hag has told Garnacho to ‘keep his feet on the ground’ after his display
- He wants Garnacho to maintain his focus for when the Premier League returns
Erik Ten Hag warned Alejandro Garnacho about the ‘danger’ of losing focus during the World Cup break after the teenager’s latest heroics in the win over Fulham.
Ten Hag has been trying to keep Garnacho grounded in the midst of his breakthrough season for United, and wants to make sure he is still in the right shape physically and mentally when the season resumes next month.
After the 18-year-old climbed off the bench to score his first Premier League goal at Craven Cottage, the United boss cautioned that he has to continue working hard while his teammates are at the World Cup.
Alejandro Garnacho scored his first Premier League goal as he netted the winner at Fulham
Garnacho will train at Carrington and go on a warm-weather training trip to Cadiz with the rest of the players who aren’t on duty in Qatar.
‘This shows what talent can do but it is still a long way to go,’ said Ten Hag.
‘He has to keep his feet on the ground. He has to do much more investment. Big players know that, young players don’t know.
‘Now it’s a four-week break, that’s already a danger for him, because he now has momentum.
‘Let’s see how he’s coming back. We have to manage that with him. His attitude is good and I’m certain he will have an impact.
‘The danger is four weeks, no games, lose focus, less investment. It’s only when he stays on the same attitude that he’s working the last three, four or five weeks the process will keep going and his progress will keep going. If not, it goes the other way around.’
Erik Ten Hag has praised Garnacho for the impact he has had on matches recently
Garnacho has been warned that he needs to maintain his focus during the World Cup break
Ten Hag praised Garnacho’s impact in recent weeks and admitted he could never have foreseen his faith in the 18-year-old paying off so handsomely.
‘Alejandro had a big impact in the win,’ added the Dutchman. ‘The spotlight is on that and that is also justified because it was a great finish because that is what you expect that from subs coming in.
‘I am really happy with his progress. We have an extra player in the squad and I’m happy for the academy.
‘But also I want to emphasise the way we scored that goal all the way from the back to the front. I think it was a massive brilliant assist from Christian Eriksen.
‘We’re going in the right direction, and I think we have a base. The culture has changed. The attitude has changed and that’s good. We have also improved. We have got a better mentality and you saw that today with the winner in the last minute.
‘We are now united, we have togetherness. The dressing-room, the staff, the directors, the whole club and the fans. I’m really happy with that development.’
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