Alejandro Garnacho appears to aim dig at Chelsea after making Aston Villa debut

Alejandro Garnacho says he is “happy to be enjoying football again” after making his much-anticipated Aston Villa debut, a remark some have interpreted as a swipe at parent club Chelsea.

The 22-year-old winger has joined Villa on a season-long loan deal which is said to include a £43million conditional obligation-to-buy clause based on how many appearances he makes.

Garnacho endured a frustrating campaign at Chelsea last season. He scored eight goals in 43 appearances following his £40 million move from Manchester United, but struggled for regular minutes.

Shortly after his latest move was made official, Garnacho gave an interesting insight into his mindset.

"I think I was looking for a club to get confidence, and try to be the player that I was years ago, from my first years at (Manchester) United," he said after being asked what it was about Villa that made him join.

On Saturday, Garnacho made his first appearance for Villa as they began their pre-season tour of the Far East with a 3-1 victory over Indonesia All Stars following goals from Emi Buendia, Ross Barkley and Brian Madjo.

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The Argentine, who played 45 minutes before being substituted at half-time, was deployed on the left flank.

On Sunday, Garnacho took to his Instagram story to speak about his first appearance for the Villains. Alongside an image from the game, he penned a message that some interpreted as a dig at Chelsea.

"See you soon Bangkok," he wrote. "First start after three months. Happy to be enjoying football again. One per cent every day. Thanks Indonesia."

One Villa fan commented on the post, saying: "Good reaction from him. Grateful for the chance and recognises the challenge it's gonna be to be back to his best," while a Chelsea supporter wrote: "The feeling was mutual."

Garnacho will be hoping to improve his output in the coming months. Last season, he scored just one goal in 24 Premier League appearances for Chelsea.

Villa manager Unai Emery clearly believes the Argentine can produce the goods. "He is so talented, young and he showed us his wish to help our project," said Emery, who guided the club to a Europa League win last season. "We are really happy."

Asked about the opportunity to work alongside Emery in his first interview as an Aston Villa player, Garnacho said: "Obviously, with Unai, I spoke before I came here. He gave me the confidence, so that's why I'm here."

The winger will be hoping to feature more in the coming days. Villa will face BG Pathum United on Tuesday (August 4) before coming up against Bayern Munich (August 7), PSG (August 12) and Borussia Mönchengladbach (August 15).