Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca reveals Alejandro Garnacho plan ahead of Man Utd clash

Alejandro Garnacho left Manchester United for Chelsea in a £40million deal in the summer transfer window and is now set to return to Old Trafford for the first time

Alejandro Garnacho will make an emotional return to Old Trafford when Manchester United welcome Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.

The 20-year-old winger made the switch from the Theatre of Dreams to Stamford Bridge during the summer window after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim. Garnacho had been a key figure in Amorim’s plans until he was surprisingly dropped for the Europa League final.

Having featured in every previous knockout match in the tournament, the decision immediately sparked speculation about his Old Trafford future. His £40million move to the Blues made him United’s fourth-biggest departure ever, trailing only Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria.

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The Red Devils also secured a 10 per cent sell-on fee as part of the agreement with Chelsea.

The Argentine has featured twice for his new club, coming off the bench in the 2-2 stalemate with Brentford and the 3-1 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich earlier this week.

Boss Enzo Maresca has hinted the winger could make his maiden start against his former club.

During Friday’s press briefing, Maresca revealed: “In the last two games, he was very good when he came on.

“So we are happy with the way he has adapted to our style and what we want from the winger. I think he is ready to start.”

How the Argentina star will be greeted by the Old Trafford faithful remains unclear, given the divided opinions surrounding his departure from the club.

Garnacho had a rocky start under Erik ten Hag at United, with his disciplinary issues culminating in him being dropped for the Manchester derby in December.

He was among several senior players who departed Old Trafford this summer. Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho were loaned out to Barcelona and Aston Villa, respectively, until the season’s end, while Antony made a permanent switch to Real Betis.

Andre Onana also secured a loan move to Trabzonspor.

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