Former Manchester United title-winning attacker Robin Van Persie named young Alejandro Garnacho his favourite youngster currently playing at his old club.Van Persie returned to Manchester some eight years after he departed the Red Devils – but this time as a reporter. He came to interview the current United boss and his compatriot Erik Ten Hag for BT Sport and had a lot to say about the state of the club that won the Carabao Cup last month.”It’s good to be back. It’s been a while.”##NAJAVA_MECA_7099398##The former Dutch international controversially joined United from Arsenal in 2012 and went on to make 105 appearances in all competitions, scoring 58 goals with 21 assists. Although he wasn’t there long enough to become a club legend, he was still a hero as he led the team to Premier League glory in his first season with 26 goals in 38 games. Watching the games this season, the Dutchman was particularly impressed with the up-and-coming South American prospect.”Garnacho is one to watch. You know he is still very young, a very talented player. If you look how he handles difficult situations, how he handles pressure, how he creates, for his age, especially it is very special.”The admiration goes both ways, as Garnacho has previously dubbed Van Persie a ‘legend’ following another visit from the Dutchman to United’s Carrington training ground last year.Sadly for the 18-year-old Argentine, he will miss weeks of actions after sustaining a severe ankle injury. He was the subject of a hard challenge from Kyle Walker-Peters in the box on Sunday and he was visibly in pain for several minutes after the incident. Garnacho was eventually substituted and the manager has now said that he can not provide an exact timescale for his recovery from the untimely setback.
The youngster has had a superb breakthrough season with nine-goal involvements in 31 games. He has directly contributed to several match-winning moments. He was unfortunate not to make the World Cup squad with Argentina last year and will now need to wait for his debut.In the meantime, Van Persie will keep a close eye on Ten Hag’s United.