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Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag has praised his “fearless and brave” attacker Alejandro Garnacho after another fine display from the youngster.

The winger scored his fourth goal of the season as the Red Devils came from behind to defeat West Ham in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Garnacho scored his team’s second goal of the night in the 90th minute to turn the game on its head, after Said Benrahma and a Nayef Aguerd own goal had the score at 1-1. Fred then scored in the 95th minute to seal the victory.

Man Utd winger ‘fearless and brave’

Man Utd will now take on another Premier League club in Fulham in the next round of the competition, having already lifted silverware this season with the recent Carabao Cup victory.

They are also into the last 16 of the Europa League and sit pretty in third in the Premier League, with the various competitions allowing manager Ten Hag to vary his starting lineups.

And the latest match saw Garnacho handed a role from the start, with the Argentinian linking up well with fellow forwards Bruno Fernandes, Antony and Wout Weghorst, before finding the back of the net late on in the game.

The display has impressed boss Ten Hag, with the manager delighted at the youngster’s rapid progression, having only made his first senior start in October.

“It was another step for him,” said Ten Hag, as per BBC Sport. “I said before the game you have to have an impact as a starter and I think he is capable of that.

“It’s a great skill when you’re fearless and brave. There are not so many players that can take on a player and dribble – and he has more skills than that. He has a big energy and is fast and can keep on running.”

Man Utd

Man Utd players ‘never gave up’

The manager was, however, keen to point out the importance of the entire Man Utd squad, rather than just an individual. As mentioned, the Red Devils are fighting on all fronts this season, and their success on the pitch has undoubtedly been helped by a real togetherness in all areas of the club.

Along with Garnacho, the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Marcel Sabitzer and Scott McTominay were handed rare starts as Ten Hag aims to keep his squad as fresh as possible.

Man Utd have two huge games up next, the first of which is a league meeting with Liverpool, before Spanish side Real Betis visit Old Trafford in the Europa League.

“Again the team showed personality, character, never gave up and turned around the game and won,” added Ten Hag. “It’s very important, a massive performance from our team and where we showed our mentality. We showed we have the character to deal with difficult situations, the team can keep going with energy.

“It’s not about 11 players, the bench can have an impact. They believe they can win games and once again they did it and I’m happy with that process. This team does not show panic and can change the dynamic of the game.”