Ten Hag: 'Don't compare Garnacho to Ronaldo or Rooney'

Manager Erik ten Hag doesn't want Alejandro Garnacho to be compared to legends like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, after the 19-year-old scored a spectacular overhead kick in Everton's 3-0 win.

In the third minute of the match at Goodison Park, defender Diogo Dalot crossed the ball from the right wing, slightly behind Garnacho. The 19-year-old midfielder turned around, then executed an overhead kick into the far corner, leaving goalkeeper Jordan Pickford with no chance to reach it even with a full-stretch dive. After scoring the spectacular goal, the young Argentinian star performed a celebratory dance reminiscent of his idol Cristiano Ronaldo. Garnacho even gestured to indicate the goal was a masterpiece by flicking his fingers.

Garnacho scored the opening goal of Manchester United's 3-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park in the 13th round of the Premier League on November 26th with an overhead kick. Photo: Reuters

Garnacho ran to the corner of the pitch to celebrate the goal with his idol Cristiano Ronaldo's signature spinning dance move. Photo: Reuters

On social media, many fans compared Garnacho's goal to Rooney's spectacular overhead kick in the Manchester derby at Old Trafford in February 2011 and Ronaldo's goal in Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-final against Juventus in 2018.

Ten Hag praised Garnacho and suggested he could win the Goal of the Season award, but refused to compare the goal to those of Ronaldo or Rooney. "Don't compare them, I don't think it's right," he stated. "Each goal has its own beauty."

The Dutch coach wants Garnacho to continue training hard, maintain consistent form, and score regularly if he wants to reach the level of Ronaldo or Rooney. His spectacular goal against Everton was the Argentine midfielder's first in 11 Premier League matches this season.

"To reach the level of Rooney or Ronaldo, Garnacho still has a lot of work to do," Ten Hag emphasized. "He has to work hard and do it consistently. So far, Garnacho hasn't done it, but he has great potential to do amazing things. To become a player like Rooney or Ronaldo, you have to score 20 or 25 goals in the Premier League. That's not easy."

Ten Hag was also pleased that all three of Man Utd's goals were scored by the attacking line, namely Garnacho, Marcus Rashford, and Anthony Martial. Before the Everton match, the "Red Devils'" attack had only scored one goal - Rashford's strike in the 1-3 defeat at Arsenal back in September.

Ten Hag celebrates after the victory against Everton. Photo: X / Man Utd

"The three Manchester United forwards scored and that's great," Ten Hag said with satisfaction. "That's what we need, the forwards performing to their full potential, scoring goals because that helps us as a team. The team needs that to succeed, that's for sure. The goals also give them confidence and we have to maintain that in the upcoming games."

The 3-0 scoreline doesn't reflect the reality of the match, where Man Utd struggled, managing only nine shots with four on target – compared to Everton's 24 and six. This was Man Utd's first away win in the Premier League with at least three goals despite having fewer shots on goal, since their 3-0 victory over Everton in October 2015.

The result at Goodison Park helped Man Utd return to the top six of the Premier League, six points behind leaders Arsenal. Ten Hag's team also gained momentum and confidence ahead of their away match against Galatasaray in the penultimate Group A of the Champions League on November 29th.

Hong Duy

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