Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker claims that Alejandro Garnacho “has let himself and his family down” by not realising his potential this season. The Argentine has come in for strong criticism and slammed for his supposed ambitions to become the ‘next Cristiano Ronaldo’.

The 21-year-old has endured a mixed season under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, hitting the back of the net only four times in the Premier League while finding himself out of the team on occasions.

He was left out of the squad completely to face Manchester City in December along with Marcus Rashford, but Garnacho found himself back in Amorim’s good books. That has not stopped Parker from issuing a damning verdict on the winger.

“I liked him when he came through and he had that Argentinian fire in his belly, which he has lost completely,” Parker told SpilXperten. “He has let himself and his family down. He has let his club down, because he is not taking advantage of the talent he was supposed to have.

“I am not seeing anything from him. The most important thing for him now is to understand what he is good at and what he is bad at. He can’t take on people, he is not quick enough and he doesn’t want to work hard. So, what is he actually good at? He needs to figure that out and show it, rather than just wanting to be the next Ronaldo.

“Because at the moment, to me, he just seems like a Ronaldo fanboy, who would rather make a few highlights to post them on social media rather than winning football matches and make this club great again.”

Parker insists that Garnacho’s young age is no excuse for inconsistent performances, pointing to a comparable member of the ‘Class of 92’ and calling for the Argentine international to step up before his career is over.

The 19-cap England international added: “We can’t keep using the excuse that Garnacho is young. He is not young anymore, at least not in football. He turns 21 in the summer and before he knows he will be 30. He needs to understand that and start performing.

“The best players, like Ryan Giggs, were not considered young when he was 21. Garnacho might be immature but he is not young anymore, and it is a massive disappointment that he is not performing at all.

“He is not playing like an adult and he is certainly not acting like an adult, and he has to have a good look in the mirror, to tell himself that he needs to stop thinking about being the next Ronaldo. He will never be that, so he has to accept the fact that he needs to work hard to get a decent career.”