Amorim Sent Chelsea Warning About Garnacho as He's Told to 'Drop Attitude'
Ruben Amorim seemingly sent Chelsea a number of indirect warnings about Alejandro Garnacho's attitude, including sending him to the ‘bomb squad’ at Manchester United - and it appears that a former Argentina star agrees with the Red Devils manager's stance.
It was apparent that Garnacho’s days at Manchester United were numbered following the Red Devils’ 1-0 Europa League final defeat to Spurs back in May.
Following the match, the 21-year-old winger went on a rant about the Portuguese head coach’s decision not to pick him in his starting XI for the Bilbao final.
The Argentinian was eventually introduced with 19 minutes to play but failed to make a positive impact on proceedings.
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Reports then surfaced that Amorim told Garnacho to find a new club before putting him in the so-called ‘bomb squad’ alongside out-of-favour stars Antony, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia.
There had been several prior incidents between Amorim and the player, which suggested that not all was well between the pair.
Last season, the 21-year-old was also forced to buy the United team dinner as an informal punishment for storming down the tunnel after being substituted against Ipswich Town.
After a summer of speculation regarding Garnacho’s future, he finally completed a £40 million transfer to Premier League rivals Chelsea in August, penning a deal through to 2032.
In his seven appearances for the Blues, he has registered just one goal – in the 2-1 defeat to Sunderland last weekend – and has yet to really get going under Enzo Maresca.
Meanwhile, Garnacho has not been selected by Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni since November 2024, and the prospect of the winger playing at next summer’s World Cup seems unlikely.
The Spain-born youngster currently boasts eight Argentina caps, having made his debut against Australia in June 2023.
1986 World Cup-winning Argentina defender Oscar Ruggeri has now claimed that he believes the Chelsea man has potential but can be let down by his attitude, during an interview with ESPN, relayed by Sport Witness.
"He's just like everyone else,” Ruggeri said. “You're a football player, enjoy that, but you don't have to be so full of yourself. It's pointless because you miss out on so much. Someone needs to bring him down to earth.
"They're not calling him up to the national team. If he gets back to his old form, they'll call him up again because he's a phenomenal player."
63-year-old Ruggeri won 97 Argentina caps between 1983 and 1994, a period during which he won two Copa America crowns and a World Cup.
Chelsea boss Maresca insisted that Garnacho “is doing well” earlier this week before explaining how he was not fully fit when he arrived from Man United.
The Italian head coach claimed: “He is working hard every day, he is getting better and better, and in this moment we are happy with the way he is playing.”
Chelsea return to Premier League action with a trip to Spurs on Saturday.
Topics: Alejandro Garnacho, Chelsea, Manchester United, Ruben Amorim, Premier League, Football
Luke Davies