Alejandro Garnacho fires subtle Man Utd dig over Chelsea transfer video call

Alejandro Garnacho left Manchester United to join Chelsea in a £40m deal in the summer transfer window, and the winger has now opened up on his decision to leave Old Trafford

Alejandro Garnacho believes Chelsea is the perfect club to develop as he revealed a phone call with head coach Enzo Maresca convinced him to leave Manchester United. The Argentine international made the switch from Old Trafford to Stamford Bridge in a deal valued at £40m in August.

The forward netted his first goal for the club but it wasn't enough as newly-promoted Sunderland came from behind to win 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. Garnacho took just four minutes to break his duck for the Blues after seven appearances in all competitions.

The 21-year-old had over 100 senior appearances before making his move to the capital and will be looking to establish himself as a key member of this Chelsea squad in their push for consistent Champions League football, as well as challenging at the top of the Premier League.

After expressing a desire to embark on a new challenge away from Old Trafford, it was a call with the Italian that convinced him that Chelsea was the best move for his career.

In an interview for Chelsea's matchday programme, he said: "Obviously, in my last season at United, with the new manager, there were a lot of changes in the situation at the club and it was a bit difficult. I still played a lot of games last season, mainly from the start or sometimes from the bench.

"But when I spoke with this club, with the manager, it's important also the style of play we have now. He explained a lot to me in a video call with him, so I think it was a very important move for me and an opportunity to improve as a player in a team like Chelsea."

His departure from United had been anticipated since the winger voiced his disappointment at being benched during May's Europa League final loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Earlier in the season, Ruben Amorim also felt that Garnacho was not heeding instructions when he was about to be substituted late in a Europa League match against Viktoria Plzen.

Having expressed a wish to leave, Garnacho, who joined the Reds from Atletico Madrid in 2020, spent the pre-season training separate from United's first team.

However, he harbours no second thoughts about making the switch, explaining: "At 10 years old, I moved to Atletico Madrid. I was there for five years before I moved to England, and I'm very happy to play here.

"The type of football they play here is really nice and really good for me, and also the passion of the fans and everything.

"Here everything is fast. I like this type of football, everyone watches the Premier League, it's the most exciting league. So I'm happy that I made that move and, now, to be here [at Chelsea] is incredible."