In the week that news of Chelsea's interest in Alejandro Garnacho became public, Amad had already shown why Manchester United moved away from their 'untouchable' and 'unsellable' transfer tags. The pair's fortunes are currently stark in contrast.

In a 12-minute blitz at home to Southampton, Ruben Amorim's reliable attacking wing-back, or just straight-out dynamic forward, continued a run of form that has threatened to show up United's other players all season. Amad is now undroppable himself. He has a rightful claim to be well ahead of Garnacho in the pecking order. That stance is justified and reflected in every sinew of the club right now.

As for the Argentine, questions around his attitude and discipline both on and off the field have gained more traction with his wider performances under Amorim. He has only started four of the league games since the end of November and is yet to score or assist for the new boss.

It is easy to forget just how highly rated both players have been for so long, though, and the fickle nature of football is often evident when writing youngsters off at an early age. Amad's struggles to get into the United first team regularly after arriving, combined with Garnacho's earlier breakthrough, is a perfect example.

The Ivorian's future at United was soon with a backdrop that he was competing against Garnacho for an attacking spot. Someone two years younger and immediately the centre of attention for his electric speed and flashy feet took the spotlight and it has been a battle to get back to being on top.

Having two players under the age of 23 able to offer so much spark is no bad thing, even if their personal journeys have not always been straightforward. They can both play off either wing and are happy to go head-first into a one-on-one. They are shot-happy speedsters who work hard off the ball.

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Garnacho's drive and influence on proceedings has been under inspection for a while whereas Amad has rarely been criticised for his work ethic, and rightly so. Yet, the dynamics of squad building and a tendency to look past players the older they get easily saw Amad discarded as a someone sitting behind Garnacho just 18 months ago.

Pitting the pair against each other perhaps detracts from just how much talent United have here.

It shouldn't be a surprise that Garnacho, despite claims that Chelsea and Napoli want to pick him up for half price at just £35million, is valued so much higher both internally and by those across the continent. In fact, according to CIES Football Observatory, he is worth over £80million due to his quality, age, and contract status. The only players younger than him and worth more are Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery.

Rasmus Hojlund, nearly 22, is also ahead and has an estimated market price of almost £95million. The next United player on this list is Kobbie Mainoo, given a tag of just under £80million.

What this reflects is that, despite a tricky year so far for Garnacho, who is still streaky in his developmental years, he is still extremely well thought of. United fans may not always agree.

Due to the immense raw talent he possesses - few have the blend of pace and dribbling whilst also showing confidence to let fly at an immense rate - expectations are big. Transfermarkt, for example, suggest that he was worth over £20million almost two years ago when he was still entering his late teens.

He was considered a genuine first-team option in 2022 when Amad simply wasn't. Instead, he was pushing for senior minutes elsewhere in a bid to accelerate his professional growth.

The crowd-sourced statistics site often has lower values and is by no means gospel. The trend of how things change over time is often striking and accurate regardless. Amad went from tomorrow's superstar to out of consideration within the blink of an eye.

The rare at which Garnacho has lost the faith of his manager and sections of the fanbase is similar, in a sense. Amad was never thrust aside and actively disliked by supporters, he just never quite cut through.

Garnacho is still playing enough minutes to continue improving at a rapid rate. His 11 goals and assists last season were bettered only by Bruno Fernandes and Hojlund. He is already used in the mould of a senior player despite his age.

The drop-off this season has raised concern but is also pretty natural. Consider how Amad went from hot-shot to struggling in Scotland. He bossed the Championship and has been leaving glimpses of this, Garnacho has not been playing in a stable environment yet still projects as one of the best young wingers in Europe.

Amad, by contrast, has a much lower - but steadily increasing - peak figure on Transfermarkt. When he arrived it looked set to rise astronomically but the two loans and lack of progress saw things stall. This is all relative, and a player who is still forging a way through should not be discounted. His estimated value does not mean that he is not immensely desirable for United and isn't rated internally.

Right now, Amad would be among the few who are cementing themselves in Amorim's short and long-term plans. Garnacho, on the other hand, is not as important yet has a strong pitch of his own to be considered someone United shouldn't be too eager to sell on, even for much-needed financial gain.

Garnacho's Transfermarkt value is closer to the £40million that teams in January are willing to offer. That he reached a predicted value of £20million when just 18 indicates the level of potential this kid has.

Amad will likely see his own number grow in the coming months after an update that will reflect his hat-trick and impact for Amorim. As for Garnacho, he has plateaued for now but has shown enough in his young career to suggest that United's transfer demands are not extortionate for the player they believe he can become.

What this really shows is that United have two tremendous young players on their hands and that progress arks are not all linear. Amad has had his ups and downs already and is now showing just why United were willing to splash out on him from Atalanta.

Garnacho is enduring a tougher run yet claims that he does not and will not warrant the cash price on his head may well come back to bite United if they were willing to sell now.