Alejandro Garnacho emerges as best ball carrier in the Premier League this season | OneFootball

While Manchester United have endured a turbulent season, there has been a silver lining, namely the numerous young talents who have left their mark on the pitch. One of the rising stars who has certainly shown his potential is winger Alejandro Garnacho.

The past few weeks have proven tough for the teenager, who struggled to make a positive impact during last night’s 3-2 win over Newcastle United.

Nevertheless, it has been a positive season overall for the 19-year-old, who has shown exactly why he deserves a place in Erik ten Hag’s starting 11. With nine goals and five assists in all competitions, Garnacho has played a vital role in several crucial matches to lift Man United to victory.

Despite a slow start to the season, Garnacho’s first goal in the current Premier League campaign was one to remember, namely a breathtaking overhead kick to propel United to a 3-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park.

He scored two goals to earn United a last-gasp 3-2 win over Aston Villa, while also scoring twice in a 3-0 thumping of West Ham United at Old Trafford.

Arguably Garnacho’s most crucial goal contribution this season was his assist in United’s 4-3 victory in extra time against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarterfinal. Now, United are set to face bitter rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25.

But while the Argentine has certainly proven his worth by appearing on the scoring sheet and assists charts, his underlying data is perhaps even more impressive.

With just one match to go, Garnacho finds himself atop one Opta Analyst Premier League stats table across several metrics.

Garnacho has emerged as the top player in Opta Analyst’s carrying rankings, which describe how productive a player is when he performs a carry. This is where a player retains possession and moves the ball five metres or more.

Despite making just 19 carries per 90 minutes – putting him quite far down the list – Garnacho is the most successful carrier in the Premier League when it comes to the end product that he delivers.

46% of Garnacho’s carries end in a shot, thereby making him the top player in this metric. This shows just how good the Argentine is at retaining the ball and not being dispossessed – even outperforming the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Mohamed Salah.

Garnacho is also the Premier League’s top player when it comes to total chance creating carries at 69%. This measure includes shots, key passes, and eventual goals and assists.

Carrying aside, the Argentine has proven to be one of the league’s most productive attacking stars.

Garnacho ranks 13th overall in attack contributions with a ranking of 5.07. This metric combines non-penalty shots plus chances created from open play. Among the players whom Garnacho have outperformed to date are Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Son Heung-Min, and even United skipper Bruno Fernandes.

Ultimately, these statistics show just how productive Garnacho has been this season, consistently pressuring opposing defences in search of a goal or at least an assist. While his form may have recently dropped, he has no doubt proven himself to be one of United’s finest attacking assets this season. With the right management, United have a clinical attacker on their hands going into the next season.

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