Ruben Amorim will come face to face with the player he banished from the first team.
Former Manchester United player Alejandro Garnacho will return to Old Trafford as a Chelsea player for the first time this weekend.
Manchester United sold Garnacho to Chelsea for £40 million, a deal that includes a 10 per cent sell-on clause.
Garnacho has made two appearances from the bench, and Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca says he is ‘ready to start’, speaking in his pre-match press conference.
Maresca attempting to succeed where Amorim gave up
Ruben Amorim took over as Manchester United head coach last November, replacing Erik ten Hag.
While Garnacho actually made his debut under Ralf Rangnick, he made his first starts under Ten Hag and thrived while playing for the Dutchman.
Amorim’s change of system posed a major challenge for Garnacho. The Argentine was never able to truly convince the head coach of his ability to adapt.
This was what led to Garnacho being benched in the Europa League Final, the moment that blew up his career at the club after he hit out in a post-game interview.
Now it is Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca who is trying to drum his tactics into Garnacho.
Speaking at his press conference, Maresca explained he was pleased with everything he had seen so far from his new signing.
Maresca explained: “We are happy with how he is adapting in our style and what we want for our winger.”
Ruben Amorim tactics did not play to Garnacho’s strengths
Enzo Maresca will have a better shot to teach Garnacho than Ruben Amorim did, because his tactics play into the forward’s strengths more.
Amorim was attempting to take Garnacho out of his preferred winger role and teach him to play as an inside number 10.
It was less than ideal for a young player who relies on pace as a key attribute to his game, an ability to stretch defenders and make use of the big pitch.
Garnacho had moments where he was productive under Amorim, but he also let himself down with some errant finishing inside the box.
The frustration Garnacho felt at missing out on the Final was heightened by United’s 1-0 defeat, that cost the Red Devils a trophy, and Champions League qualification.
Garnacho could not keep a lid on his feelings, and you sensed it had all been bubbling under, ready to explode.
He was ostracised from the squad this summer to force an exit, before pushing for a move to Chelsea, and even turning down a move to Bayern.
United fans suspected this was because Garnacho wanted to prove a point to United. And with Maresca’s guidance, he is set to get his chance.
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