Alejandro Garnacho spent pre-season training away from Manchester United’s first team before joining Chelsea for £40m towards the end of the summer transfer window
Alejandro Garnacho joined Chelsea from Manchester United during the summer transfer window
Alejandro Garnacho joined Chelsea from Manchester United during the summer transfer window
View 2 Images
Alejandro Garnacho has revealed a video call with Enzo Maresca convinced him to leave Manchester United and join Chelsea.
The Argentina international moved to Stamford Bridge from Old Trafford in a deal worth £40m in August. Garnacho’s United exit had been on the cards ever since the winger expressed frustration at starting May’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on the bench.
Earlier that season, Ruben Amorim also felt he was not paying attention to instructions when he was about to come on late in a Europa League tie with Viktoria Plzen. Garnacho, who joined the Reds from Atletico Madrid in 2020, spent pre-season training away from United’s first team, having expressed a desire to leave.
And Garnacho has now revealed that following a video call with Maresca, he knew he needed to leave United and join Chelsea.
Speaking for Chelsea's matchday programme, he said: "Obviously, in my last season at United, with the new manager, there were a lot of changes in the situation at the club and it was a bit difficult.
"I still played a lot of games last season, mainly from the start or sometimes from the bench.
"But when I spoke with this club, with the manager, it's important also the style of play we have now.
“He explained a lot to me in a video call with him, so I think it was a very important move for me and an opportunity to improve as a player in a team like Chelsea."
Garnacho has so far made four appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring his only goal against Sunderland at the weekend.
Alejandro Garnacho celebrating his opener for Chelsea against Sunderland
Alejandro Garnacho celebrating with Pedro Neto after his opener for Chelsea against Sunderland
View 2 Images
But he has no regrets in making the move, saying: “At 10 years old, I moved to Atletico Madrid. I was there for five years before I moved to England, and I’m very happy to play here.
“The type of football they play here is really nice and really good for me, and also the passion of the fans and everything.
“Here everything is fast. I like this type of football, everyone watches the Premier League, it’s the most exciting league.
“So I’m happy that I made that move and, now, to be here [at Chelsea] is incredible.”
Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the bestManchester United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest United news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clickinghere to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Clickhere to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Manchester is Red podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, includingSpotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.