"Reminded me of a young Cristiano" - Paul Scholes heaps praise on Manchester United youngster

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has heaped praise on youngster Alejandro Garnacho, comparing the Argentine to Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 18-year-old made his full debut for the Red Devils in midweek against Sheriff Tiraspol in the Europa League (27 October). The Argentina U20 made quite an impression as he helped his side secure a 3-0 win against the Moldovan side.

Garnacho was applauded by fans when he was taken off in the 78th minute following a bright and energetic performance.

The teenager has been training with senior players this campaign and was a part of the squad that traveled to Thailand and Australia during their pre-season tour. He has now made six senior appearances under manager Erik ten Hag and Thursday's game was his first-ever start for the Red Devils.

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has hailed the gifted winger following his impressive full debut for his former club. The ex-England midfielder has tipped the wonderkid for a bright future. He said, as quoted by Manchester Evening News:

“This crowd loves entertainment and he provided that tonight. He almost reminded me of a young Cristiano with his skill and taking the ball down with confidence."

“I was impressed with the way he could attack on both feet and the unpredictability. He is an 18-year-old kid and he has a big future at Manchester United.”

Manchester United signed Garnacho from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid for a fee of £420,000 in the summer of 2020. He has since impressed for the youth side and looks like a star player in the making.

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Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is also hugely impressed with the Argentine starlet

Following Garnacho's full debut for Manchester United, Ten Hag also hailed the youngster. He said:

"I think it was a good performance from him. He did what I expected him to do. First, he deserved a chance for the last few weeks. The start was difficult for him in the season. I was not happy with him, but in the last weeks, I was happy with him, a better attitude, more resilience, more determination."

Ten Hag continued:

"And what you see is he has the talent to deal with the ball in tight areas, to run behind and especially also his tempo dribbles, he can take players on and that's a good capability now in his football, especially against opponents who are defending as compact as this opponent."

"I am happy with that, I hope for him it's a stimulant and he knows I have to do better to get into the team, to create more and don't forget you are playing in a team."

With Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford struggling for form on a consistent basis, Garnacho could have more first-team opportunities coming his way.