Unai Emery doesn’t usually suffer fools. But he’s signed one in Alejandro Garnacho.
The Aston Villa winger proved that to be true at Hull during a first-half he played no part. Nor was he ready to.
Midway through the opening period, while Villa were toiling through their fifth of six halves of football without a goal, having only just registered their first shot on target of the season, the Sky Sports camera cut to the Villa bench to focus on Ibrahim Mbaye, one of Emery’s best prospects to rectify their lack of cutting edge.
Next to Mbaye sat Garnacho. Wearing six earrings, some diamond hoops among them, garishly illustrating why he is doomed to fail – again.
Only because of the manager’s mercy is Garnacho is a Villa player. Despite all the evidence to the contrary at Chelsea last season, Emery this summer saw a player amid the ego.
If the Villa boss looked again at Garnacho during the first half in Hull, he would have seen a substitute disinterested in making an appearance, let alone an impact.
Of all those on Villa’s bench, one might assume that Garnacho would be among the most willing and eager. But the impression wilfully and repeatedly given is one of a player who still doesn’t give a f***.
A substitute has one very simple job: be ready. It is infuriating enough when replacements have to get dressed after getting the call to come on; having to take off all that jewellery too should mean being overlooked.
Perceptions matter. But perhaps we shouldn’t blame Garnacho for thinking his opportunities will be unlimited. Because he’s already had more than he merits.
It was evident that his attitude was a problem even before he graduated the academy at United. His breakthrough came amid warnings from Erik ten Hag over ‘attitude, resilience, determination’, while former academy head Nicky Butt said of Garnacho: “He had a high opinion of himself… he got above his station way too quick.”
That was perhaps inevitable given how often his ego and demeanour was tolerated. He was United’s ‘starboy’ and the PR machine brought more privileges than was healthy.
Even when he finally burned his last bridge at Old Trafford, Garnacho was given a similar platform by Chelsea. And when he failed there, he fell upwards to the Champions League with Villa.
There was a glimmer of humility from Garnacho when he arrived at Villa Park. “I was looking for a club to get my confidence back, so I can try to become the player I was a few years ago in my first years at Manchester United,” he said. “I spoke with the manager and he gave me the confidence to try to help the team here – that’s why I’m here.”
Actions, though, always speak louder than words, which Garnacho is yet to grasp.
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If he caught on quicker, he would recognise the opportunity to nail down a place on Villa’s left wing. But through the first three games of the season, Emery has preferred George Hemmings, a 19-year-old who was yet to make a single Premier League start when Garnacho arrived.
When Hemmings gave way for Garnacho for the final 15 minutes at Hull, what little threat Villa carried down the left subsided further. Garnacho completed three carries – all backwards.
Like all of Villa’s new signings, Garnacho is entitled to expect some patience as he beds in to an overhauled squad. But he – or even those around him – must realise that before he can change his fortunes, he has alter the perception he provides.
Are Garnacho and his camp that oblivious to the bleedin’ obvious, or do they simply not care? Bling on the bench suggests both might be true.