Alejandro Garnacho has been slammed for his on-pitch behaviour by a former referee after leaving Manchester United this summer.
Alejandro Garnacho in action for Chelsea.
Alejandro Garnacho in action for Chelsea. (Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
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Former referee Keith Hackett has slammed ex-Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho for his on-pitch behaviour. The Argentina international joined Chelsea this summer in a £40million deal - which includes a 10 per cent sell-on fee.
The 21-year-old became United's fourth-highest sale in history - following Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria. Garnacho has made five appearances for Enzo Maresca's side so far, but is yet to score or provide an assist for the Blues.
However, he did play a key role in Chelsea's opening goal during their impressive 2-1 win at home to Liverpool on Saturday evening. One moment of contention at Stamford Bridge saw Garnacho clash with Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai in the penalty area - an incident which saw referee Antony Taylor wave away appeals for a spot-kick to the home side.
And Hackett, who refereed in the Premier League for two seasons during the early 1990s, has now had his say on Garnacho, sharing his belief that the winger's behaviour is influencing referees' decisions against him.
"There's no doubt that there’s exaggeration," he told Football Insider. "In these situations, players think; 'I'll work to [try and] make sure I get a penalty kick by tumbling and rumbling'.
"Sometimes, that's exactly what the referee sees. He sees an incident, and then the theatrics, and it works against what the player wants out of it. Referees are not daft, so they prepare. And we all know that he exaggerates.
"The sadness is that on the occasions when we don't feel the pain he does, and he has been fouled, he doesn't get it because referees are conditioned against him.
"The manager should bring in Howard Webb, involve Garnacho, and watch some clips with him. That's not helping the club, that would be keeping the yellow cards down... He needs to know how his antics are possibly influencing referees against him."
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