There is still plenty of time in which to turn things around, but is Garnacho running out of willing takers in England? When that question was put to Cole, the former Villa striker – who was speaking courtesy of LiveScore Bet – told GOAL: “The thing with young players, he showed great promise when he was at Manchester United. Young players need to be managed correctly.
“It seems to me that he’s got carried away with himself and thought he was the finished article at a young age. I suggest the environment that you’re in, if no one’s taken a hold of what’s going on in the background with these young players, they can get carried away. They manage themselves and they think they know what’s best.
“I’ve got a son in football right now. Even me talking to them, I’ve got two boys actually. One’s 15, one’s 18, one’s a pro, just made pro at Middlesbrough. So I know having a young, talented boy, sometimes they think they know it all at a certain stage. I was like that as well.
“You have to be quite delusional to be a footballer anyway. But sometimes you have to pull the reins in. And I think Garnacho, he falls under that banner where he can be a great player if he knuckles down and just focuses on football and leaves the stuff away from the pitch.
“Sometimes it only takes 6-12 months of just pure football, getting to learn the game, getting to learn who you’re playing with, how can they get the best out of me and how can I get the best out of them. Just focusing on football, just football.”