Alejandro Garnacho is finalising a move to Chelsea after two years at Manchester United
Alejandro Garnacho
Alejandro Garnacho fell out of favour under Ruben Amorim(Image: Gokhan Taner/Shutterstock)
Juan Sebastian Veron previously confessed he regrets his transfer from Manchester United to Chelsea as Alejandro Garnacho finalises a move to Stamford Bridge.
After weeks of negotiations, United have finally struck an agreement with Chelsea in a deal worth £40million. Blues head coach Enzo Maresca confirmed on Friday that Garnacho was at Cobham to undergo a medical and finalise his move.
"I know he is around here," said Maresca during his press-conference. "I don't know exactly where."
The winger is poised to become the club's seventh summer signing, excluding loaned-out players, and will compete with Pedro Neto and fellow newcomer Jamie Gittens for a spot on the flank, while striker Joao Pedro and Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian are also capable of playing out wide
Asked how he saw the United academy graduate fitting into his team, Maresca said: "It's quite clear he's a winger. I see him as a winger."
Few Premier League stars have made the leap from one major title contender to another, with a notable case being Carlos Tevez's controversial switch across Manchester to neighbours City.
Meanwhile, Veron represents one of those players who defected to a significant rival, when he departed United for Stamford Bridge in 2003 following just two seasons at Old Trafford.
The now-49-year-old originally joined United for a British transfer record fee of £28.1 million, netting 11 times in 82 outings and claiming one Premier League crown.
Following his arrival, Sir Alex Ferguson declared: "I never thought I'd spend this much money on a footballer. I think he's coming into great years of his career and he will peak and we'll get the benefit of that. He is a world-class, fantastic footballer with a vision of a game we can use."
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Nevertheless, Veron remained just 24 months under Ferguson's stewardship before becoming one of Roman Abramovich's initial acquisitions as Chelsea's proprietor. He departed United for £15m, meaning the club suffered a loss of approximately £13m from their initial transfer outlay.
When reflecting on his spell at Stamford Bridge in 2019, the Argentine revealed: "At Chelsea, the reality is that I had very little time. I had a major back injury and I was out for practically six months. I was already thinking more about going back to Italy than staying there in England."
The move to Chelsea proved to be one he would come to rue, as opportunities were limited at Stamford Bridge, managing just 14 outings and finding the net only once. He was loaned out to Inter Milan and Club Estudiantes de La Plata before taking a sabbatical for a year and remaining at La Plata until hanging up his boots in 2017.
Discussing his remorse over the Chelsea transfer, Veron admitted: "With United, the truth is that there are few things, very few, that I regret. But one is to have left Manchester. They never pushed me or told me 'you have to go', but they gave me the chance, the possibility.
"I had talks with my former colleagues at that time telling me that I had to stay. And at one moment I decided to leave because I wanted to play, because I didn't know... I should have stayed."
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