Man Utd star Alejandro Garnacho makes his intentions clear with message to Real Madrid man

Alejandro Garnacho wants to follow in Vinicius Junior's footsteps after telling the Real Madrid star he was his 'inspiration'.

Manchester United fans will be hoping Garnacho's compliment was aimed at winning the Ballon d'Or and the Champions League, rather than donning the Spanish giants' famous white jersey.

Following Vinicius' stunning second-half hat-trick in Los Blancos' 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday night, Real boss Carlo Ancelotti confirmed the Brazilian is in contention to win this year's Ballon d'Or. year, following reports that the winner had been leaked early.

Vinicius scored 24 goals in all competitions last season as he helped Madrid win a Champions League and La Liga double. Garnacho made it clear he wants to emulate that success, commenting on the wide man's latest Instagram post: “Great inspiration.”

This is not the first time that Garnacho has revealed his admiration for Vinicius. Earlier this year he called him “the best player in the world”, and in 2023 he asked for his shirt after a pre-season match between United and Real.

Whether Garnacho could one day join Vinicius at the Bernabeu is another matter entirely. Although he has represented Argentina at international level, United's talented 20-year-old was born in the Spanish capital and spent five years in Atletico Madrid's academy.

Reports earlier this year indicated that Garnacho “dreams” of one day playing for Real, while Los Blancos president Florentino Perez is said to be keen to meet the winger.

Garnacho has gone from a talented prospect to one of the most important strikers on Erik ten Hag's team over the last two and a half years. This campaign he is on track to better his previous goal tally, with five in 12 games in all competitions.

But competition for minutes remains tough at Old Trafford. Amad Diallo, Marcus Rashford and Antony are also battling for playing time on the flanks, meaning Garnacho has been forced to make do with substitutions three times in the Premier League this season and twice in the Europa League.

Although Vinicius had enjoyed huge success as an individual and with his team, the Brazilian was still finding his feet in Spain when he was Garnacho's age, encouraging the United youngster by telling him he he still has plenty of time to match the achievements of his 'inspiration'.