Shot-happy Alejandro Garnacho an option for Dream Team bosses in need of bold strategy
The upcoming European semi-finals offer additional point-scoring opportunities and gaffers preparing a bold strategy for the next two Gameweeks should consider Alejandro Garnacho (£3.3m) when mulling over potential difference-makers.
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Still in the infancy of his professional career, the Manchester United winger is far from the finished article.
However, while he can be a source of frustration at times, it's simply a fact he's among the top ten midfielders in Dream Team right now.
Garnacho, equally capable of the sublime and the ridiculous, has amassed 247 points via nine goals and 12 assists.
This total puts him above the likes of Eberechi Eze (£4.8m), Brennan Johnson (£3.1m), Phil Foden (£5.3m), Justin Kluivert (£4m) and Anthony Gordon (£4.5m) in the rankings.
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The Red Devils are one of just four teams set to fulfil four fixtures across Gameweeks 33 and 34.
This coming Gameweek, they will travel to Bournemouth (Premier League) and Athletic Bilbao (Europa League).
After that, they will face Brentford in London before hosting the La Liga stalwarts in the second leg of their European semi-final.
The majority of Dream Team bosses will be sceptical of Man United's prospects for the remainder of the campaign given how 2024/25 has gone to date.
Ruben Amorim's side are currently 14th in the table, just two points ahead of West Ham in 17th.
It's understandable if gaffers are hesitant to rely on a team that have underwhelmed to such a degree but Garnacho might be able to produce healthy returns even if everything else crashes and burns around him.
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It looked for all the world that Amorim's troops would be eliminated from Europe by Lyon in the quarter-finals before they mustered a spirited comeback of immense drama.
Garnacho notched a double-digit haul across both legs against the Ligue 1 outfit.
The most notable statistic regarding the Argentina international is his overall tally of 49 shots on target in 2024/25, a total only bettered by Erling Haaland (£7.8m) and Mohamed Salah (£7.2m).
MOST SHOTS ON TARGET AMONG DREAM TEAM PLAYERS THIS SEASON (ALL COMPS):
83 - Erling Haaland
73 - Mohamed Salah
49 - Alejandro Garnacho
49 - Alexander Isak
49 - Cole Palmer
47 - Ollie Watkins
44 - Matheus Cunha
44 - Bruno Fernandes
42 - Antoine Semenyo
39 - Bryan Mbeumo
Critics would say Garnacho should have converted more of his shots into goals this campaign - a fair comment - but the level of threat he offers is encouraging.
Shot-happy players make for very useful Dream Team assets.
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It goes without saying that Bruno Fernandes (£7m) should be the first port of call for managers aiming to target Man United's fixtures in the next two Gameweeks.
The Portuguese playmaker is comfortably the leading midfielder in the game with 384 points to his name.
However, given Fernandes is the third-most popular player in his position, his returns may not shape Mini Leagues.
Combining him and Garnacho in midfield offers a potential point of difference if Man United are able to score a few goals in the next fortnight.
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