Alejandro Garnacho left Manchester United in bitter circumstances last summer before sparking “concern” with something he did

Alejandro Garnacho was once tipped to spearhead Manchester United’s attack into a new and more fruitful era.

The Argentine joined United in 2020 as a mere 16-year-old from Atletico Madrid. Determined to follow in his idol Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps, the youngster broke into the first-team fold, playing alongside the aforementioned veteran and exciting Old Trafford with his wing play.

Garnacho went from strength to strength under Erik ten Hag and helped save the Dutchman’s job, at least temporarily, with a goal against Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Along with Kobbie Mainoo, he was seen as a key player for the club for the next decade, only to end up joining Premier League rivals Chelsea last August for £40million.

The Manchester Evening News now takes a look at how it came to be that such an exceptional talent left United, his current relationship with the team and how he is faring in west London.

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Bitter exit

The beginning of the end for Garnacho at United was the arrival of Ruben Amorim. Early signs of friction between player and head coach appeared in December 2024 when the Argentina international was dropped, along with Marcus Rashford, for a Manchester Derby after apparently performing poorly in training.

Their relationship soured as the season went on, and he was left out of the starting line-up for last season’s Europa League final, which United lost. He was openly critical of the decision, which all but confirmed he would have no further part to play under the Portuguese boss, as he was relegated to the ‘bomb squad’ over the summer and sold to Chelsea.

Garnacho made 144 appearances for United, netting 26 goals and providing 22 assists. He left United with a farewell message that indicated he held some fondness for his previous club.

But he also expressed little remorse about departing the red half of Manchester in bitter circumstances. Garnacho even suggested leaving United was an essential move for his development. When asked whether he held any regrets, Garnacho responded: “No.”

Pressed on whether he felt sadness about how his spell at United concluded, he again said: “No.” He added: “Sometimes in life you need to change things to take a step forward or improve as a player,” Garnacho explained. “It was the right moment, and the right club. So it was an easy decision.”

Message to Fernandes

Despite his attitude towards the club, Garnacho seems to still cherish his friendship with several of his former team-mates. He appears to be following United’s matches closely, allegedly giving his views on Mainoo’s own issues with Amorim earlier this season.

And, following United’s shock 3-2 win over Arsenal in January, he shared the players’ enthusiasm on social media. After the game, United skipper Fernandes shared a few pictures from the match, including one with goalscorer Patrick Dorgu, who delivered a strong performance.

He wrote: “Ballon D’orgu,” followed by a lovestruck emoji. That prompted a response from Garnacho, who replied with: “T best.”

Chelsea struggles

Despite leaving United for a hefty fee, Garnacho’s first season at Chelsea has been underwhelming. He has scored six goals and notched three assists in 29 appearances but has only shown flashes of brilliance as opposed to consistently imposing himself on matches.

After a poor display against relegation-threatened West Ham in January, Garnacho was called out by his own manager. Liam Rosenior said: “[He’d] be the first to say that maybe his performance wasn’t to his level in that [West Ham] game, but there were many collective things. I know Garna is an outstanding player, that’s why he’s here…”

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Pundit Gary Neville also took a swipe at the forward while partly blaming him for their 2-0 deficit at half-time. The United legend said: “That left side of Chelsea was obliterated. Alejandro Garnacho is a player that divides opinion, I think, at times.

“A lot of people are questioning, is he top-class or where is he? Where is he in the pecking order? What was difficult to watch last night was a young player like that, who’s gone to Chelsea and he looked shot to pieces in terms of his confidence on that left-hand side.”

More recently, Alan Shearer has voiced his concern over how easily Garnacho goes to ground, suggesting that it may show a lack of desire to really affect games.

Speaking on the BBC One live commentary, Shearer wasn’t too impressed with how easily Garnacho went down from a cross in the first half, saying: “I’d love to be wrong, but I think if he shows more desire and strength, he gets on the end of that, rather than looking for a penalty, which it wasn’t.”

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