What Alejandro Garnacho did to impress former Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia

Antonio Valencia was impressed by Alejandro Garnacho's impact from the bench when he attended a Manchester United game last season.

Garnacho was promoted to the first-team squad by Erik ten Hag following his appointment and the youngster was gradually given more opportunities throughout the campaign after initially disappointing with his attitude.

The winger ended last season with five goals and Valencia attended Old Trafford as United defeated Wolves 2-0 in May thanks to strikes from Anthony Martial and Garnacho, who made sure of the result in injury time.

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Garnacho helped kill off Wolves in that game and it left a lasting impression on Valencia, as he recently told club media.

“Garnacho has raised his level. He gets better every day,” Valencia said. "I like him, and the fans want to see him play. Everybody wanted to see him come on [against Wolves at the end of last season].

“We knew he was coming off the back of an injury, but he entered the game really well. He took the pitch with a lot of energy. He changed the face of the match because he came on to cause pressure, and that’s what the team needed.”

Valencia added: “They needed somebody with that energy to come on, to press high up on the pitch with the idea of scoring and assisting. So he changed the face of the match. I like how he came on.

"So, being a fan of the club, I was very happy to see him on the pitch. Let’s hope he’s back at that level soon and can play some incredible games, because we need him.”