Alejandro Garnacho left Manchester United for Chelsea during the summer transfer window and is now off the mark for his new club after netting against Sunderland
Alejandro Garnacho celebrates
Alejandro Garnacho scored his first Chelsea goal against Sunderland on Saturday
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Former Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho scored his first goal for Chelsea against Sunderland on Saturday - and replicated a United celebration which reminded his former club just how much has changed in the last 20 months.
The Argentina star left for Stamford Bridge in a £40million summer move and he isn't the only former starter forced out under Ruben Amorim. After finding the net against the Black Cats, Garnacho celebrated by sitting on the advertising hoarding, with team-mate Pedro Neto joining him. It brought to mind a near-identical celebration during United's victory over West Ham in February 2024, with Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund also involved, in a move which some read as mocking former Hammers star Mohammed Kudus.
At the time, the trio were hailed as the future of United, with Hojlund scoring once and Garnacho twice in the 3-0 win. A defeat at West Ham nearly nine months later saw manager Erik ten Hag sacked, though, and his successor Amorim hasn't viewed the trio in the same way.
Garnacho has completed a permanent exit, while Hojlund is expected to do the same after an initial loan switch to Napoli. Mainoo is still a United player, but has yet to start a league game this season.
It shows just how quickly things can change in football. Not only have the three United players all found themselves in different cities, but Ten Hag has lost not one but two jobs, with his Bayer Leverkusen tenure lasting just 60 days.
Garnacho's United exit was all but sealed by his reaction to being dropped for the Europa League final. The winger publicly criticised Amorim for the selection decision, despite coming off the bench as the Red Devils chased an equaliser in vain.
“Until we reached the final, I played every round. And I played 20 minutes today - I don’t know," he said. "I’m going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next.”
Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo celebrating a Man Utd goal
Garnacho called to mind a Manchester United celebration in 2024
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Garnacho was left in United's 'bomb squad' over the summer, missing out on pre-season action as Amorim prepared to offload him and several team-mates. Speaking after Chelsea's Champions League victory over Benfica, though, the player insisted there are no hard feelings as far as his old employers are concerned.
"I think it was a difficult moment there, just training alone," Garnacho told TNT Sports. "But I have nothing bad to say about the club, my old club Manchester United. It was just a bad moment in life but now I’m very happy to be here and to play in this competition and to get the three points today."
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