‘He’s led the way’: Redknapp says one United star has kept ‘the pressure’ off of Erik ten Hag

Jamie Redknapp has named one Manchester United ace who’s ‘led the way’ this season amidst a tumultuous period for the club.

A run of four successive Premier League wins has thrown the Red Devils into the mix for a European spot – ideally for them, it’ll be the Champions League. It’s a prospect that, over the first half of the term, had become entirely unthinkable when the side were losing 3-0 at home to Bournemouth, 2-0 away to West Ham United and 2-1 to Nottingham Forest, but the tide has seemingly turned for the better.

Erik ten Hag, now navigating his sophomore campaign in the dugout, had frequently promised supporters that the results would improve when sidelined players returned to the fold, and those returnees have proven him right. 

In terms of getting the goals though, it’s been left mostly to youngsters Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho, with the latter being cherry-picked for high praise from Redknapp yesterday.

The 19-year-old starlet endured a slow start to 2023/2024 before finding his confidence at just the right time. He’s now notched five goals and three assists in the league and on Boxing Day, single-handedly kickstarted a turnaround against Aston Villa after United conceded two first-half goals. He also netted a brace against the Irons, while etching his name into the history books by scoring a remarkable, Wayne Rooney-esque bicycle kick at Goodison Park last November.

Redknapp lauds Garnacho

“To a certain extent,” Redknapp began on Sky Sports. “He’s kept the manager that was massively under pressure out of that pressure because he’d led the way with some incredible moments for a young man. And when the fans and everybody sees that there’s a really young, talented squad – especially Manchester United where they’ve had so many great young players through history – it looks like it’s repeating itself. 

“The manager deserves a lot of credit, he’s giving young players a chance.”