Man United get their money’s worth with a new gem unearthed

London — Manchester United have splashed out truck loads of money on high-profile signings in their bid to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford, and they may have hit the jackpot with an Argentinian teenager. 

Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench for United on Sunday to score the winner against Fulham and at the same time produced an excellent all-round performance in his 20 minutes on the pitch.

Another player making noises was Brentford’s Ivan Toney, who failed to make England's squad for the World Cup, but reminded manager Gareth Southgate what he is capable of with two goals as the Bees shocked champions Manchester City at The Etihad.

These and other talking points from the Premier League weekend.

United unearth a gem in Garnacho: Alejandro Garnacho might prove to be one of the finds of the season after coming off the bench to score a late winner for Manchester United away to Fulham.

The 18-year-old Argentinian came on in the 72nd minute and had a good shout for a penalty turned down before popping up to score a stoppage-time winner in an all-round display that oozed class and potential.

“I think everyone is seeing signs [of his potential],” teammate Bruno Fernandes said. “Not because of his goals and assists, but the way he comes into the game. Nobody likes to be on the bench so the attitude he has when he comes off has been fantastic.”

If he keeps producing the kind of attacking excitement he showed at Craven Cottage, he may not be coming off the bench for much longer.

Toney sends Southgate message in Bees win: Brentford’s Ivan Toney may have been left out of the England squad for the World Cup but on Saturday he took the chance to remind Gareth Southgate of his qualities with two goals in a stunning win over Manchester City.

The 26-year-old scored the winner deep into stoppage time and could have had a hat-trick in the game, and his all-round performance will be a stark reminder to the England manager of what he can do.

However, Brentford coach Thomas Frank will most likely be delighted that his striker will now have six weeks off to rest and recover after a frenetic start to the season.

After securing his side’s first away victory of the season, Frank will be hoping there is much more to come when their season resumes again against Tottenham Hotspur on December 26.

Lingard a  bright light as Forest bounce back: He has yet to score in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest but Jesse Lingard showed in the win over Crystal Palace that he has a lot to contribute to their efforts to stay up this season.

Lingard was at the centre of much of Forest’s positive attacking play at home to Palace as they secured a 1-0 win that lifted them off the bottom of the table.

Having taken time to build up his fitness and form over the first part of the season, Lingard can now concentrate on peaking in time for the post-World Cup part of the season when Forest’s fate will be decided.

Emery rebuilds Villa and his own reputation: Unai Emery’s last spell in the Premier League with Arsenal ended in bitter disappointment but the Spanish coach has had an instant effect on his return to England, inspiring Aston Villa to successive wins in his first two league games in charge over Manchester United and high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion.

Emery has accumulated as many victories as predecessor Steven Gerrard managed in 11 matches and has helped Villa clear two psychological barriers in leading them to their first away win since May and overseeing their first set of consecutive victories this season.

The Spaniard is one of the most respected coaches in Europe and though his teams do not always play the most attractive football they know how to frustrate opponents and get results, evidenced by Brighton’s complaints of time wasting.

Villa’s owners, Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, have spent about £400m on the club’s squad since they returned to the Premier League in 2019 but previous coaches Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard struggled to squeeze results out of the team.

Though it is early days, there are already signs that with Emery the club have the coach to match their big ambitions.

Nunez adds goals to chaotic play: After a mixed adaptation period since his move from Benfica, Darwin Nunez is starting to settle in the Liverpool team and dovetail with his teammates.

The Uruguayan scored twice in the 3-1 win over Southampton, the first time he had notched a double in a match for Juergen Klopp’s side. His overall play was also impressive and almost every time he got on the ball he made something happen.

The towering striker may not have been the ideal replacement for Sadio Mane when he left for Bayern Munich in the close season but he is beginning to repay Liverpool’s outlay on him and should now head to the World Cup with his confidence lifted.

Reuters