Alejandro Garnacho says he has zero regrets over how he exited Manchester United in messy circumstances, adding it was an easy decision to make his £40million move to Chelsea.
Garnacho left Old Trafford after being exiled to the United bomb squad by Ruben Amorim, having originally joined the club’s academy at the age of 16. Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich also showed late interest in the 21-year-old Argentinian in the summer, but he made it clear that he wanted to remain in the Premier League as he opted for Stamford Bridge.
Speaking for the first time since signing for Chelsea and before their Champions League away clash with Atalanta on Tuesday, Garnacho told the travelling reporters in Bergamo that he needed this change to take a step forward in his career.
When asked if he held any regrets over his United departure, Garnacho simply said: ‘No.’ Asked as a follow-up whether he was sad how it ended, he replied: ‘No.’
On choosing to join Chelsea after United, he said: ‘I came here to play my football, to show people the player I am. Sometimes in life, you have to change things to maybe take a step forward or to improve as a player. It was the right moment, and also the right club, so it was an easy decision.’
Garnacho is tied down on a deal until 2032 and added: ‘The most important thing is confidence. He (Enzo Maresca) speaks with me every week. We are going to get better, me as a player and the team together, with time. We started the season three months ago so it’s building confidence.’
When asked if he held any regrets over his Manchester United departure, Alejandro Garnacho simply said: ‘No.’ Asked as a follow-up whether he was sad how it ended, he replied: ‘No.’
When asked if he held any regrets over his Manchester United departure, Alejandro Garnacho simply said: ‘No.’ Asked as a follow-up whether he was sad how it ended, he replied: ‘No.’
The Argentinian left Old Trafford after being exiled to the United bomb squad by Ruben Amorim, having originally joined the club’s academy from Atletico Madrid at the age of 16
The Argentinian left Old Trafford after being exiled to the United bomb squad by Ruben Amorim, having originally joined the club’s academy from Atletico Madrid at the age of 16
Meanwhile, Maresca has warned his Chelsea players that their Atalanta counterparts will man-mark them so aggressively that they will follow them to the toilet in Bergamo.
Maresca said he was proud to be back in his homeland of Italy to manage in the Champions League and added on Italian football: ‘You can see most of the teams play five at the back, most of the teams try to play man-to-man everywhere. If you go to the toilet, they follow you everywhere.’
Cole Palmer has not travelled with the Chelsea squad as it is felt he cannot yet handle such a hectic week. ‘It is part of his process,’ Maresca said. ‘He's not available. He can’t play two games in a row in three days so we've planned this and it's a way to protect him.’
Palmer will be fit to face Everton this Saturday. Liam Delap will not after his shoulder injury suffered in Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Bournemouth. Maresca said he does not yet have a timeline for Delap’s return with Joao Pedro or Marc Guiu likely to lead the line against Atalanta.
On Garnacho, Maresca said: ‘He can give much more, but not only Alejandro. All the players. We try to work every day with them to improve them. It's been quite easy to work with him. He wants to learn, he's open-minded, he's working good on the ball and off the ball. Some games he's better, some games he tries a little more, but overall he's doing well with us.’