Some senior figures at Manchester United are regretting the club's decision to sell Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea, according to reports. The former Red Devils winger moved to Stamford Bridge in the summer after being deemed surplus to requirements by Ruben Amorim. Their fractured relationship went beyond the point of repair following last season's Europa League final defeat to Tottenham.
Garnacho launched a public attack on his manager after being named on the bench for the fixture in Bilbao. Afterwards, it became clear that a change of scenery was needed and he was snapped up by Chelsea on deadline day. It has taken a while for Garnacho to get going but he now appears to be finding his feet in west London.
The winger chipped in with two assists against Wolves over the weekend and scored his first league goal for the Blues against Sunderland last month. Now, it has emerged that some at United are having second thoughts about their decision to sell him.
A section of United's hierarchy believe Garnacho could have flourished at Old Trafford with careful guidance and meticulous man-management, according to The Telegraph.
It is said those doubters think the forward was wrongly deemed a bad egg and a disruptive presence when he was simply 'young and petulant' and could have matured in time.
Others might wonder if United would have been so eager to cash in on Garnacho if they had other saleable assets within their squad at a time when they desperately needed to raise money.
It is now too late for the Red Devils to consider what might have been, with their former player settling into life at his new club.
Garnacho was recently singled out for special praise by Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who hailed the forward's work rate following the victory over Wolves.
He also took a thinly-veiled swipe at United, suggesting that Garnacho did not arrive at Stamford Bridge in the best shape.
"He arrived here from another club where he was not training 100 per cent so his physical condition was not good," said Maresca. "Slowly, slowly, now it’s better.
"He’s doing very well on the ball but he’s doing very, very well off the ball. He knows that to play with us, he has to be good on the ball and off the ball, otherwise he’s not going to play. We are very happy with him at this moment."