Former Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has warned Alejandro Garnacho that he needs to ‘put his ego in check’ or end up facing a permanent spell on the bench at Stamford Bridge.
After being completely frozen out of Ruben Amorim’s plans at Manchester United, Garnacho was offloaded to the Blues in a high-profile £40million deal last summer.
Despite showing flashes of his clear talent under, first Enzo Maresca, and then current Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior, the 21-year-old has only scored once in 20 Premier League appearances, with four assists.
Garnacho has fared better in the domestic cup competitions this term, however, chalking up six goals in eight outings, although four of those came against lower-tier sides Wrexham, Port Vale and Cardiff.
READ MORE: Rosenior is a ‘nice guy’ who lacks the ‘aura’ to be a success at Chelsea
Garnacho’s struggles have seen him start just three of Chelsea’s last nine games under Rosenior and Wright-Phillips, who made 125 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, believes Garnacho has to work much harder on his game and that his current levels of performance are simply ‘not good enough’.
“I feel like he may need to put his ego a little bit in check,” Wright-Phillips told Sky Bet.
“Because in a Premier League, a half season or one season is not good enough. To be at a level where people want to buy you, it has to be a consistent thing.
“It’s okay scoring sometimes, but I know the Chelsea fans, the least they need from you is 110%. If they see you working that hard for that badge, they will back you.
“I don’t know whether that’s tactically, or whether he’s not happy, but they got nearly six or seven wingers, so he’s gonna have to do something because Gittens might just switch on at any given point.”
Chelsea are on a current run of just two wins from their last nine games in all competitions, but Garnacho is confident the club can turn things around, while also reflecting on his switch to Stamford Bridge last summer.
READ NEXT: Big Weekend: Chelsea v Man City, Arsenal, Isak, De Zerbi and Spurs
Speaking to Premier League Productions, the Argentine said: “We know the team we have, the things we can do. Sometimes is better in some moments, and worse. But yeah, I’m really proud to be here in this moment.
“But yeah, at United have nothing wrong to say about the club or any teammates, no one. Just a moment on life changed. My life continued. So we have to keep looking forward.”