Former Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho endured a tough game against West Ham on Saturday with Gary Neville having his say on the Argentine
Alejandro Garnacho struggled badly against West Ham United on Saturday(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
Gary Neville has shared his concerns for former Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho after the Argentine endured a tough match for Chelsea against West Ham on Saturday. The 21-year-old made the switch to Stamford Bridge this summer in a £40million transfer – which includes a 10 per cent sell-on clause.
The forward became United’s fourth-biggest departure in club history in terms of his transfer fee – behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria. Garnacho has made 26 appearances fo far for Chelsea – scoring six goals.
But the Argentina international struggled badly against the Hammers, having been partly blamed for his team going 2-0 down at half-time. And ex-Reds captain-turned-pundit Neville has explained on the Gary Neville podcast why Garnacho’s performance was crucial to his team facing a shock home loss to their relegation-threatened opponents before they came back to win 3-2.
He said: “In the first half, I have to say that West Ham were absolutely fantastic. They dominated the game, even though they didn’t dominate possession; they dominated the game.
“They had the best chances, they were more physical, and that left side of Chelsea was obliterated. Alejandro Garnacho is a player that divides opinion, I think, at times.
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“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.
“I’m not just talking about when [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka kept going off him running forward, but actually when he got the ball, his first touch was back and then he just kept going back and giving it away.
Alejandro Garnacho in action for Chelsea against West Ham United(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
“It was an awkward, very horrible experience for both Hato and Garnacho on that left side, and Badiashiele. But once he changed it, the complete and utter transformation of the game occurred.”
United secured Garnacho’s signature on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid in September 2020 and following his development through the academy and FA Youth Cup triumph, the teenager established himself as a key member of the first-team squad.
Garnacho made his senior debut under Ralf Rangnick in April 2022 against Chelsea at Old Trafford. He continued his progression under Erik ten Hag during the 2022/2023 campaign, registering six goals and six assists in 37 appearances across all competitions.
However, he was never able to click under Ruben Amorim with concerns raised about his attitude before being sold to Chelsea in the summer.
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