Alejandro Garnacho: Leaving 'difficult' Man United for Chelsea was 'important' to improve | OneFootball

Alejandro Garnacho has opened up on his summer Manchester United departure after making the decision to join Chelsea.

The 21-year-old ended his time at Old Trafford to make the switch to Chelsea in a £40m transfer, which saw Man United retain a 10 per cent sell-on clause.

Garnacho scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea on Saturday against Sunderland, although it wasn't enough as Enzo Maresca's side fell to a 2-1 defeat to the newly-promoted outfit.

It was a move for the Argentine which happened at the very end of the summer transfer window, with both Chelsea and Man United holding out for a favourable deal.

Garnacho made it clear he wanted to leave Old Trafford and Chelsea were fully aware of their leverage to ensure they got a deal they were satisfied with.

Garnacho celebrates Chelsea goal with teammates against Sunderland. | IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

It ended in both parties striking an agreement and getting their respective desired outcome. Chelsea got their transfer target, while Man United managed to offload one of their unwanted assets who they were so desperate to part ways with.

Garnacho's time in the north west ended on a sour note and it was time to part ways. He has acknowledged it previously, and speaking to Chelsea's matchday programme, the attacker opened up on the difficult situation.

After a video call with Maresca, Garnacho knew he needed to make the 'important' move to the capital to continue his development.

"Obviously, in my last season at United, with the new manager, there were a lot of changes in the situation at the club and it was a bit difficult," Garnacho said. "I still played a lot of games last season, mainly from the start or sometimes from the bench.

"But when I spoke with this club, with the manager, it's important also the style of play we have now. He explained a lot to me in a video call with him, so I think it was a very important move for me and an opportunity to improve as a player in a team like Chelsea."

Garnacho will hope to be a success at Chelsea in seasons to come, and will be keen to lift silverware alongside his Argentine compatriot, Enzo Fernandez, who he has grown closer with following the summer switch,

The Argentines have now reunited at Stamford Bridge following Garnacho's transfer. | IMAGO / Every Second Media

The Chelsea winger added: "I know him from the national team, and he's a very good guy. I spoke with him during the summer all the time - he text me every week.

"Then we met again here and he has helped me a lot, to be honest, from the start of my time here, so now we are very good friends."