Lionel Messi makes feelings perfectly clear on Man Utd star Alejandro Garnacho

Manchester United star has been one of the club's bright sparks over a difficult last 12 months, and the Argentine's international team-mate sees his quality.

Messi was one of four former Ballon d'Or winners to put Garnacho in their top three in the voting for the Kopa Trophy. It wasn't enough for him to claim his spot on the overall podium, though.

The award - for the best player in the under the age of 21 - was won comprehensively by Lamine Yamal. The and Spain star earned 113 points, a record for the award, which was first handed out to Kylian Mbappe in 2018.

and Turkey starlet Arda Guler took second place, with Garnacho's United team-mate in third. However, some big names gave their backing to Garnacho.

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According to Dutch legend Marco van Basten was the only voter to put Garnacho second, while no one had him top of the pile. Messi was one of three to rank Garnacho third, with Karim Benzema and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge the others.

Van Basten also had Mainoo on the podium, putting the England star third. Several stars of yesteryear had Mainoo in second, including former England and United striker Michael Owen.

Mainoo was the first ever player to claim a top three overall finish in the voting for the Kopa Trophy. His fellow England internationals and Jadon Sancho have also made the cut, with Bellingham earning a first and a second place finish in different years, but both men achieved the feat for their Borussia Dortmund performances.

How much can Alejandro Garnacho kick on? Have your say in the

Garnacho is United's top scorer this season, with six goals in all competitions. However, United's slow start to the season - with just eight goals scored in their first 10 league games, saw Erik ten Hag sacked as manager.

“Of course, it’s a bit difficult at this moment, but the most important thing is to keep going,” as the club prepare to welcome new head coach Ruben Amorim on November 11. “The season has only just started and we need to try and improve as a team to win every game and make our fans proud.

“Hopefully we will improve over the next few months to have a great season and to win a trophy," he added. Garnacho scored in United's final victory over in May, securing qualification for the , while his three goals in the Carabao Cup have helped the team reach the quarter-finals of that particular competition this season.

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