Alejandro Garnacho left Manchester United to sign for Chelsea in the summer after falling out of favour at Old Trafford. But he has already been left red-faced as he has been handed just four starts by Blues boss Enzo Maresca and remained on the bench as his new side ran riot against Ajax on Wednesday evening.
Garnacho appeared to have a big future at Old Trafford when he first nailed down a starting spot on the wing. But he struggled under Ruben Amorim and took aim at the Portuguese coach after being left out of United’s starting line-up in last season’s Europa League final. He was told to find a new club and favoured a transfer to Stamford Bridge over a move elsewhere.
Garnacho was forced to wait until the start of October to make his Premier League debut for Chelsea as he featured from the outset against Liverpool.
He was also named in the starting line-up for the Blues’ trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
But he was hooked at half-time at the City Ground after being shouted at by team-mate Pedro Neto for failing to get on the end of a cross in the first half.
Garnacho returned to the bench as Chelsea hosted Ajax in the Champions League this week. And even though his manager used all five of his substitutions, the Argentine didn’t make it onto the pitch.
Maresca’s decision came despite the fact the Italian was willing to utilise six teenagers on the night, with Marc Guiu, Estevao, Jorrel Hato, Josh Acheampong, Reggie Walsh and Tyrique George all featuring.
And Garnacho will be left wondering whether he will ever be able to establish himself as a first-team regular in west London.
Garnacho attracted interest from Napoli in the summer, while Arsenal and Tottenham also thought about making a move, according to reports. And the 21-year-old even reportedly turned down a move to Bayern Munich as he only wanted to sign for Chelsea.
If Garnacho had patched things up with Amorim and stayed in the north west, he almost certainly would have played more Premier League football this season.
He wouldn’t have necessarily been a starter, but he would have offered a dimension that his former boss would have valued in the final third of the pitch.
Garnacho’s Chelsea career is still in the early stages and there will be plenty of opportunities for him this season if he stays fit and works hard. But it’s difficult to see him becoming a key player at Stamford Bridge any time soon judging from his start to life in the capital.