Bruno Fernandes believes Alejandro Garnacho has a “great future” after his stunning overhead kick set Manchester United on their way to a 3-0 win at Everton.
Garnacho’s spectacular third-minute effort silenced a Goodison Park crowd keen to vent their fury at the Premier League following their 10-point deduction for breaching the league’s profitability and sustainability rules.
Marcus Rashford doubled the lead from the penalty spot and Anthony Martial sealed a comfortable win as United manager Erik ten Hag watched from the stands as he served a touchline ban.
WHAT A GOAL ALEJANDRO GARNACHO!!!!
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL)
“He’s not a great player yet but he has a great future ahead,” Fernandes said of Garnacho on Sky Sports.
“We expect a lot from him, he knows that. He knows I am always going to be behind him asking for more, but obviously it was an amazing goal.”
Asked about his remarkable goal, Garnacho said: “I can’t believe it to be honest. I didn’t see how I scored, I just listened (to the crowd) and I say ‘oh my God’.
“It’s one of the best goals I’ve scored and I’m very happy.”
Fernandes revealed he allowed Rashford to take the penalty to help the striker’s confidence, adding: “Strikers want to score goals, it gives you a boost.
“After the penalty Marcus was unstoppable. Sometimes you need this opportunity to get your confidence back.”
Everton manager Sean Dyche was unhappy with the decision to award United a penalty, with Martial having initially been booked for diving before a lengthy VAR check.
“The VAR thing this year, and I’m a big fan, it’s been all over the place,” Dyche said. “It just seems to be mayhem all the time.
“He books the lad for diving and then comes back and looks at it for three minutes to make a decision.
“It’s not just about that, but that doesn’t help of course. You’re 1-0 down to a worldie, you haven’t taken your chances, they get a penalty and it’s 2-0.
“We have to maintain the belief in what we’re doing, we are doing that. At the end of the day 10 points taken away from anyone this early in the season changes the whole view of it, but we’ve got to stick with our performance levels until the appeal process goes through.”