Man Utd have the next Cristiano Ronaldo - Scholes

Robin Bairner

• 31 Mar 2023 12:51 BST
• 5 min read

Manchester United have a player on their books who can be the next Cristiano Ronaldo, according to club legend Paul Scholes.

According to the former England midfielder, Alejandro Garnacho has what it takes to emulate the former Man Utd and Real Madrid icon thanks to his exciting style of football.

At just 18, Garnacho has yet to become a regular at Old Trafford, but the glimpses he has shown supporters in his 29 appearances for the first team this season have been exciting. In these games, he has scored four goals and created five more – including two Premier League strikes and another couple of assists.

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Certainly, Scholes’ interest has been piqued by the Argentina U20 international, comparing him to Ronaldo, who he played alongside from 2003 until the Portuguese’s move to Real Madrid in 2009.

“I'm very excited about him. Every time I see him I'm impressed. He's a superstar in the making,” he told the Webby & O’Neill YouTube channel.

“Garnacho is so brave with the ball. He's a lot like Cristiano [Ronaldo] was when he was young. He doesn't fear blows, he gets up, he keeps going, he scores goals.”

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Garnacho a big Ronaldo fan

Such a comparison will thrill the teenager, who thanked Ronaldo after scoring his first goal for the club in a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad earlier this season.

Similarly, manager Erik ten Hag appears to be delighted with the contribution that the young winger is making.

Speaking after that Sociedad match, he said: “We have an extra player with Garnacho. He did well and I hope he can keep going in this process. He was reliable defending, he worked hard, he was a threat and he scored a goal so I am happy. If he can keep this process going, I'm really happy.”

Meanwhile, Man Utd could be without Garnacho in the final weeks of the Premier League season as he is expected to be called up for the U20 World Cup in May – a competition that FIFA compels clubs to release their plays for.