Garnacho's contract confirmation could start a dream week for Man Utd

Suraj Radia

• 20 Feb 2023 18:12 GMT
• 2 min read

Manchester United are hoping they can kick-start a ‘dream week’ by confirming a new contract for Alejandro Garnacho ahead of a pivotal tie against Barcelona before a trip to Wembley on Sunday.

United will host Barcelona in the second leg of their Europa League knockout tie on Thursday before coming up against Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final, with Garnacho likely to feature across the games.

The 18-year-old has become a breakout star for United in recent months and his current contract is set to expire next summer, however FootballTransfers understands a new five-year deal has been agreed pending final formalities and the club’s announcement.

EXCLUSIVE: Garnacho agrees terms on new contract

Garnacho is understood to have been offered a heavily incentivised contract worth around £30,000 per-week that ties the wonderkid down to United for the long-term.

Securing the future of one of the club’s prized possessions would add to the positive atmosphere surrounding the club after their 3-0 win over Leicester closed the gap on rivals Manchester City in second place to just three points.

United will be hoping to make home advantage count against Barca with both sides level on aggregate before taking on a Newcastle in a bid to secure their first trophy under Erik ten Hag.

United’s rise to glory this season

Few would have predicted the dramatic turnaround in fortunes when Ten Hag suffered humiliating defeats to Brighton and Brentford in his opening two games in charge.

However, United have lost just four of their 36 games since then in all competitions and the team are in pole position to win silverware for the first time since 2017.

The Red Devils come up against a Newcastle side who are winless in their last three games and without first choice keeper Nick Pope after his sending off against Liverpool, as well as backup shot-stopper Martin Dubravka, who is cup-tied having played for Ten Hag’s side in the tournament while on loan last year.

United, however, have Barcelona to face before then and all eyes will be on Marcus Rashford to see if the England star can continue his goalscoring spree to send his side into the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

GOAT: United see Rashford as having 'greatest ever striker' potential

Rashford has netted 16 goals since the World Cup in December and the forward’s prolific form, combined with good news surrounding Garnacho’s contract and a positive result against Barcelona could set United up for victory at Wembley to round off the club’s best week in recent memory.