Alejandro Garnacho stakes Manchester United first-team claim with U23s goal vs Liverpool

Alejandro Garnacho has underlined calls for him to start for Manchester United against Brentford tomorrow night by scoring for the Academy during their season finale on Sunday afternoon. However, that stunning strike from the Argentina starlet was not enough to stop Liverpool from earning a 3-1 win.

Despite well-documented problems for the seniors, this has been a campaign to remember for the 17-year-old. He has only played two minutes in the Premier League yet he continues to emerge as one of their genuine plus points as attentions turn to Erik ten Hag and the start of his tenure in the Old Trafford dugout.

After featuring in recent matchday squads alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and other household names, Garnacho was back with his own generation on Sunday afternoon for a final day Premier League 2 game that also saw youngsters such as Alvaro Fernandez and Hannibal Mejbri feature.

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Fernandez and Mejbri went unused during the first-team draw against Chelsea but - after earning his first call-up to the Argentina senior squad in March - the Madrid-born Garnacho came on to partner Ronaldo for the dying embers of that game after, also, mixing it with Lionel Messi on international duty this season.

The decision to start those three for the Academy against Liverpool suggests they are, at best, set for cameo roles when Brentford head to Old Trafford on Monday night (8pm). However, while the team suffered defeat against their bitter rivals, Garnacho did catch the eye with a sharp turn of pace and finish.

Linking up with Fernandez, he raced through on goal in the first half to lob the Liverpool goalkeeper. At that stage, United found