James Garner could be the answer to two lingering Manchester United problems

James Garner has yet to make his full debut in the Premier League - but recorded a Manchester United first for this season when lighting up the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

It was no more ironic than anything belted out by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette in her 1996 hit.

But like reacting to that endless list of unfortunate events, United and their dedicated supporters could only smirk when Garner managed something even Bruno Fernandes and other stars have failed to at Old Trafford and beyond throughout the 2021/2022 campaign.

That's right. Garner provided an assist from a corner.

It's been that long since United took that particular route to goal you might have thought Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick had done away with set-piece training at Carrington.

An alarming run that stretches into last season has been well-documented.

Garner broke that duck wearing red against Premier League opposition. No irony. Just hard lines.

Naturally, when a talented young player breaks through, there is a clamour for them to be thrust into the senior environment. Given how successful United have been with their academy route for countless decades, expectation might be ramped up further.

But with that regularity comes an increased understanding, too.

United fans have been there and seen it before. For every Marcus Rashford that has gone straight from youth-team football to the Premier League, Champions League and so forth, there is a Jesse Lingard who had to work their way up via the loan system. Perhaps, in Lingard's case, one too many times.

Let's not forget, even David Beckham spent time at Preston as a teenager.

Supporters in these parts will always gives players time. They will always remain patient with promising