Man Utd should be worried as Alejandro Garnacho's latest hint justifies 'top target'

Manchester United should hold concerns about retaining their top players if Sir Jim Ratcliffe can’t quickly direct the club onto an upwards trajectory. Alejandro Garnacho’s roots stem from the Spanish capital, and Real Madrid have a track record of swiping United’s star wingers before their prime years.

The Red Devils did well to lure Garnacho to their academy from Real’s rivals Atletico Madrid in 2020, paying just £420,000 for his signature.

He has since burst onto the first-team scene and, aged 19, has established himself as a crucial player, starting the last 36 games.

Garnacho has made his admiration for Real and the club’s superstars no secret, most recently after Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final win against Bayern Munich.

Los Blancos were trailing 1-0 in the 88th minute through Alphonso Davies’ superb strike and looked to be crashing out at the Bernabeu.

But substitute striker Joselu score two last-gasp goals to flip the tie on its head and send Real to the Wembley Stadium final against Borussia Dortmund.

During the match, Garnacho posted a photo on social media of his child wearing a Vinicius Junior shirt while watching the action unfold.

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Afterwards, the Argentina international titled Vinicius the “best player in the world” in his Instagram comments, showing his respect for one of the Balon d’Or favourites.

Real will be confident of crushing Dortmund’s dreams and lifting a record-extending 15th Champions League at Wembley. Meanwhile, Garnacho may have no European football to look forward to at all next season.

United have slipped to eighth in the Premier League, having won just two of their last 10 games.

With Arsenal, Newcastle United and Brighton and Hove Albion to face in their final three, Erik ten Hag’s side are at serious risk of a record-low finish.

Garnacho isn’t near the finished article yet, and Real will likely be happy to see him develop at United, as they did with Cristiano Ronaldo before making their move in 2009.

Easy parallels can be made to Garnacho, who idolises his former teammate Ronaldo and regularly pays tribute to the five-time Balon d’Or winner with his celebrations.

He would surely jump at the chance to follow in the Real legend’s footsteps if Florentino Perez comes calling in the coming years, especially if United haven’t yet escaped their rut.

Ratcliffe and INEOS reportedly identifying Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise as one of their priority summer transfer targets may indicate that plans are already being put into place for when that day arrives.