Alejandro Garnacho returned to Old Trafford for the first time since moving to Chelsea but he was denied any game time against his former side.
Over the summer break, Garnacho completed a £40m move to Chelsea after falling out with Ruben Amorim in the closing stages of the 2024/25 campaign.
Garnacho was critical of Amorim’s decisions in the Europa League final after he was named on the bench in Bilbao.
Ironically, Alejandro Garnacho found himself on the bench once again as Chelsea made their trip to Old Trafford on Saturday evening.
United beat Chelsea 2-1 in what was a chaotic match that involved two red cards. Despite the Blues chasing an equaliser, Garnacho was snubbed by manager Enzo Maresca.
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Despite Maresca saying Garnacho was ready to start, the Carrington graduate was left out of Chelsea’s starting XI.
An early red card to Robert Sanchez sent Maresca into a spiral, and he made three substitutions in the first 20 minutes of the match.
In the second half, Chelsea were looking for a way back into the game following Casemiro’s red card, and cameras caught Maresca preparing Garnacho with tactical instructions.
But his introduction to the match never came, and Garnacho suffered defeat at Old Trafford while remaining slumped on the bench.
After the match, Maresca explained: “Garnacho was ready to go, but then Wes [Fofana] asked for the change because he was tired after a long time so we decided to go for Malo [Gusto].
“But the idea was to give Garnacho minutes.”
Alejandro Garnacho booed by Man United fans on return
Garnacho certainly burned bridges during his move away from United, providing a sour end to what was once a promising career.
Chelsea fans are already unhappy with Garnacho and the adoration he once had from the United fanbase is gone. On his return to Old Trafford, he was welcomed by a symphony of boos and chants.
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When Maresca was asked whether the poor reception affected his decision to keep Garnacho on the bench, he replied: “No, no, no. He was ready, I sent him for the warm up and he was ready but then Wes asked for the change so we decided to go with Malo.”
United fans made their feelings clear towards the Argentine winger, and his return to Old Trafford made the victory over Chelsea even sweeter.
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