Alejandro Garnacho's Man United comments speak volumes after Chelsea transfer

Alejandro Garnacho has described his sidelining by Ruben Amorim as a "bad moment in life."

Despite this, he refrained from criticising Manchester Unitedafter an impressive performance in Chelsea's 1-0 victory over Benfica in the Champions League. Garnacho joined United's academy in 2020 at the age of 16 and quickly became a fan favourite at Old Trafford after making his first-team debut.

However, his future at the club was thrown into doubt after falling out of favour under Amorim, finding himself sidelined alongside Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia as part of a five-man 'bomb squad' that trained separately during the summer.

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The 21-year-old winger eventually secured a £40million move to Chelsea in the transfer window to rejuvenate his career, with his cross leading to the own goal that marred Jose Mourinho's return with Benfica on Tuesday evening.

Yet, when questioned about the challenging end to his United career, Garnacho chose not to retaliate and made no direct reference to Amorim.

Speaking to TNT Sports, he said: "I think it was a difficult moment there, just training alone.

"But I have nothing bad to say about the club, my old club Manchester United. It was just a bad moment in life but now I'm very happy to be here and to play in this competition and to get the three points today."

Garnacho has been slowly integrated into Chelsea life by Enzo Maresca, following the Argentine international's disrupted pre-season preparations.

He was left on the bench during his return to Old Trafford two weeks ago, before experiencing a challenging debut start for the Blues in their unconvincing League Cup victory over Lincoln City.

There, he faced jeers from opposition fans. However, Garnacho appeared lively against Benfica and instigated the own goal that decided a tightly contested match.

His performance earned him particular praise from Maresca after the game, with the Blues boss commending his overall contribution.

He said: "Alejandro was very good today. Not only on the ball but defensively, he was very good in the way he pressed. "In the last third he has freedom to go one-v-one when he decides.

"To arrive in the box is important because it's from there we score. I was pleased with him."