“Horrible experience”: Gary Neville says former United star’s confidence has been “shot to pieces” since summer switch

Alejandro Garnacho left Manchester United last summer to complete a permanent move to Chelsea. The Argentine forward, once the apple of the Old Trafford faithful’s eyes, was deemed surplus to requirements after a fallout with former head coach Ruben Amorim. Garnacho joined the Red Devils’ academy in 2020 from Atletico Madrid and broke into the first team under former manager Erik ten Hag in 2022. Such was the player’s rise under the Dutchman that he became an indispensable part of the starting XI, playing a key role in their FA Cup triumph in the 2023/24 campaign. Unfortunately, Garnacho’s fortunes changed drastically after Ten Hag lost his job. The Argentine had a love-hate relationship with Amorim, initially falling out of favour before wrestling his way back into the team. However, the situation boiled over when the 21 year old publicly questioned the Portuguese after he was left out of the starting XI for last season’s Europa League final, which United lost. Garnacho never played for the Red Devils again, and was swiftly offloaded over the summer. Garnacho yet to prove United wrong Garnacho would have loved to prove his former employers wrong by lighting up Stamford Bridge this season, but not everything has gone according to plan. The Argentine, however, has played regularly for Chelsea despite the intense competition for places, registering six goals and three assists in 26 appearances in all competitions. Alejandro Garnacho Stats: 2025/26 Season CompetitionAppearancesStartsGoalsAssistsYellow CardsRed CardsMinutes Played Premier League1512131-867′ UEFA Champions League731—297′ EFL Cup314—141′ FA Cup11—-85′ Total2617631-1,390′ Source: Transfermarkt. On Saturday, Garnacho started the game against West Ham United but failed to have an impact as the Blues fell 2-0 behind in the first half at home. The Argentine was hooked at half-time, with new manager Liam Rosenior making several changes at the break. The move worked, with Chelsea securing an impressive comeback 3-2 win, thanks to goals from Joao Pedro, Marc Cucurella, and Enzo Fernandez. It turned out to be an off day for Garnacho and United legend Gary Neville has now shared his thoughts on the player’s performance. Chelsea improved without Garnacho Speaking on The Gary Neville podcast, as cited by Metro, the former defender said: “In the first half, I have to say that West Ham were absolutely fantastic. They dominated the game, even though they didn’t dominate possession, they dominated the game. They had the best chances, they were more physical, and that left side of Chelsea was obliterated.” “Alejandro Garnacho is a player that divides opinion, I think, at times. A lot of people are questioning, is he top-class or where is he? Where is he in the pecking order? What was difficult to watch last night was a young player like that, who’s gone to Chelsea and he looked shot to pieces in terms of his confidence on that left-hand side.” “I’m not just talking about when [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka kept going off him running forward, but actually when he got the ball, his first touch was back and then he just kept going back and giving it away.” “It was an awkward, very horrible experience for both Hato and Garnacho on that left side, and Badiashile. But once he changed it, the complete and utter transformation of the game occurred.” Final Thoughts United fans may have already moved on from Garnacho, with the club reaping the rewards of investing wisely in the attack last summer. The Red Devils have scored 44 times in 24 Premier League games this season, with only Arsenal (46) and Manchester City (49) registering more goals in the league. Bryan Mbeumo has been on fire this season, while Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko have gone from strength to strength of late. With Bruno Fernandes pulling the strings behind a new-look attack, it is safe to say that United have not missed Garnacho this season. Featured image Alex Broadway via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Deepungsu Pandit Deepungsu has been a Manchester United fan since 2000. In his playing days, he was an attacking midfielder with a proclivity for the back heel. Right now, however, he prefers to operate as a regista. Deepungsu has been writing about the Red Devils, Football, and other things since 2009. He has worked for over seven years with Sportskeeda, writing football reviews, opinions and news articles. Deepungsu also maintains a blog, The Thinking Me, where he writes about life and things that interest him. His favourite Manchester United player is Paul Scholes.