Manchester United’s 2-1 loss at Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening further compounded a miserable run of form for Erik ten Hag’s side. United have now won just one of their last five league outings, and they sit nine points off the top-four.

Given the level of investment at Old Trafford over the summer, many expected the defending Carabao Cup champions to sit closer to the top of the Premier League not 11 points off the pace at the midway stage of the season.

Although Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s move to purchase a minority share in the team is admirable, United’s performance at Forest was as clumsy as ever. Rasmus Hojlund’s first league goal for the team helped them overcome a two-goal deficit to defeat Unai Emery’s team 3-2 on Boxing Day. The victory gave supporters a brief reprieve after they had to put up with yet another dismal performance over the weekend.

To compound matters, only Sheffield United (15) and Burnley (20) have scored fewer league goals than United (22) in the Premier League this season. A positive in a campaign that has promised so much yet delivered little so far has been Alejandro Garnacho’s rise to prominence.

In providing the assist for Marcus Rashford’s goal at the City Ground, the teenage winger has been directly involved in five league goals for United this season, scoring three, including a goal of the season contender in United’s 3-0 win at Everton last month.

Having played a bit-part role under Ten Hag last season, Garnacho has since established himself as a first team regular for United, capitalising upon the club’s remarkable injury crisis, Rashford poor form and Jadon Sancho’s internal suspension to nail down the left flank spot. That’s not say Garnacho is the finished product – at 19 years of age, there are rough edges to his game that need smoothing out – but he’s rapidly risen to become one of the first names on the United team sheet.

Patience, though, is necessary at this stage of his career. As is to be expected from a young winger, Garnacho can be frustrating to watch, noted in that he has completed just 22 of his 61 attempted dribbles in the Premier League this season, returning a 36.1% success rate. Conversely, in a United side that has routinely struggled to break down opponents, the desire to get on the ball and determination to chance his luck is a trait to be applauded.

Yes, the youngster is being dispossessed two times per 90 but his mental fortitude deserves adulation rather than criticism. That said, as mentioned there are areas that need the right coaching to ensure he doesn’t fall by the wayside as he develops and as the dribble success rate suggests, Garnacho’s decision making still needs work.

A return of 1.5 key passes per 90 may rank fourth for United in the Premier League this season but is a metric he ranks behind Sergio Reguilon (1.7) and Antony (1.6) for.

In addition, Garnacho’s average of 30 passes per 90 ranks low for Ten Hag’s side, while only Darwin Nunez (4.3) and Erling Haaland (4) is averaging more shots per 90 than the Argentina international (3.6) of those to have registered at least 1000 Premier League minutes this season. Granted, a winger’s primary task is to take defenders on but this comes back to Garnacho’s decision making.

United’s possession average of 52.5% ranks ninth in the Premier League, and a team of their stature should be seeking to dominate opponents. Without wanting to coach the drive out of Garnacho a little more care on the ball would see that possession average rise and, crucially, allow for United to maintain pressure on defences rather than watch on as attacks break down.

Although Garnacho is still very raw, the fact that he has established himself as United’s go-to winger and is enjoying the extra responsibility suggests he has the mentality to succeed at Old Trafford. Ten Hag has a talented winger at his disposal, so it’s imperative that Garnacho is treated appropriately. After all, he is the primary reason for hope at United right now.