Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca pointedly noted that Alejandro Garnacho was “not 100% in his physical condition” when he joined the Blues after being shunned by Manchester United.
Garnacho very publicly fell out with Red Devils head coach Ruben Amorim at the end of last season. The mercurial Argentine was dropped on the same weekend as Marcus Rashford back in December but, unlike his former English teammate, fought his way back into the team.
However, after only being afforded a cameo appearance in United’s Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in May, Garnacho heavily hinted at a summer switch. Amorim agreed, reportedly telling the winger in front of the entire squad that he was best advised to find a new employer.
During a testing summer, Garnacho wasn’t even allowed to visit United’s training ground while Amorim and the rest of the first-team squad was in the building. This exile extended into the start of the current campaign, as the 21-year-old was pointedly omitted from the group for the first two weeks of the season.
A deal with Chelsea worth a reported £40 million ($52.8 million) was belatedly wrapped up at the end of August. Maresca has used Garnacho sparingly since which—as he is at pains to outline—was a direct consequence of the summer standoff.
“Garna is doing well,” the Chelsea boss told assembled media before Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers. “Garna is another player who we are trying to manage him a little bit physically, because he arrived here from United not 100% in his physical condition.
“He is working hard every day, he is getting better and better, and in this moment we are happy with the way he is playing.”
Despite the disruption, there is no ill will between Garnacho and his former employers. “It was difficult moments, training alone, but I have nothing bad to say about my old club Manchester United. Just bad moments in life,” Garnacho told TNT Sports earlier this season.
Garnacho’s Slow Adaptation at Chelsea
Garnacho has scarcely had enough time on the pitch for Chelsea to be disappointing. Thanks to that disjointed preseason schedule, and the abundance of forward-thinking players stuffed in every corner at Stamford Bridge, the left winger has been given a little more than 300 minutes.
Maresca afforded Garnacho just 11 minutes of Premier League football until handing him his first start in October. The forward was hooked at halftime of his second top-flight start for the Blues before belatedly scoring his first Chelsea goal against Sunderland last weekend.
With Pedro Neto established as Maresca’s first-choice winger capable of operating on either flank, Garnacho is at the mercy of the Italian’s rotation policy. Brazilian teenager Estêvão has amassed the same number of starts across all competitions as Garnacho (five) but boasts more goal contributions (three to one) while offering far more convincing and complete performances than his fellow South American.
Chelsea’s Forward Options
Stats across all competitions. Correct as of Oct. 29, 2025.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Enzo Maresca Uses Man Utd to Explain Alejandro Garnacho’s Chelsea Struggles.
