Alejandro Garnacho shows true colours as Chelsea team-mate interaction captured in tunnel

Alejandro Garnacho was left on the bench for Chelsea's Premier League clash with Burnley at Turf Moor, but showed his class with a supportive gesture towards team-mate Jamie Gittens during the half-time break

Alejandro Garnacho was seen offering encouragement to Jamie Gittens as the pair made their way down the tunnel at Turf Moor on Saturday.

Gittens had been selected in Enzo Maresca's starting XI ahead of the Argentine winger for Chelsea's encounter with Burnley, yet rather than throwing his toys out of the pram, the 21-year-old demonstrated his maturity through a playful exchange as they headed down the tunnel for the second-half.

Garnacho was strolling in front of the Englishman when Gittens appeared to call out to him before making a cheeky gesture with his fingers towards his eyes to joke that he was keeping tabs on him. Garnacho responded with a grin and his own gesture as they disappeared from the television cameras' view.

Despite remaining an unused substitute throughout the match, Garnacho was also swift to approach the visiting supporters at Turf Moor following Chelsea's 2-0 victory to acknowledge the fans who had made the lengthy journey from London to the north west.

When Gittens posted on Instagram after the game to commemorate his appearance against Burnley with a series of images, Garnacho was again quick to demonstrate his backing with an enthusiastic comment. On the post, Garnacho wrote: "Jammmieeee," accompanied by a starry-eyed emoji, to which Gittens replied: "My brother," with a fingers crossed emoji and a love heart.

Consequently, it appears that Garnacho is not only discovering his rhythm on the pitch, but is also building solid bonds with his new team-mates away from it. Following his £40million switch from United this summer, Garnacho has notched two goals and two assists across 10 outings in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Maresca was equally swift to commend the talent earlier this month. He said of Garnacho: "He arrived here from another club where he was not training 100 per cent so his physical condition was not good.

"Slowly, slowly, now it's better. He's doing very well on the ball but he's doing very, very well off the ball. He knows that to play with us he has to be good on the ball and off the ball otherwise he's not going to play. We are very happy with him at this moment."

It represents a complete contrast to how Garnacho was getting on with United earlier this year. After slipping out of favour under Ruben Amorim, Garnacho slammed the club's woeful 15th-place finish in the Premier League.

He was also frustrated at losing the Europa League final to an equally-troubled Tottenham at the time. He said in May: "It's difficult for all of us. This season has been s***. We lost the final, we didn't beat anyone in PL. It's very difficult."

It comes as Garnacho will hope to have time to shine for Chelsea during their upcoming Champions League clash with Barcelona. The Blues play host to the Catalan giants at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening, with hopes of climbing the league standings in Europe.

As a result of wins over Benfica and Ajax, a draw with Qarabag and a loss to Bayern Munich, Chelsea currently sit 12th in the Champions League, but a win on Wednesday would see them leapfrog Barcelona and potentially climb to as high as fourth, depending on the score line and results elsewhere.

Chelsea then return to Premier League action come Sunday, November 30 to face a table-topping Arsenal. And with just six points between the pair of London clubs, with Chelsea occupying second in the standings, it could make all the difference in the race for the Premier League title come season's end.