As the summer transfer window heats up, speculation around the young Argentine winger’s future at Old Trafford continues to grow. ..Continue Reading
This week, reports have surfaced linking the 21-year-old with a potential switch to Chelsea, one of United’s Premier League rivals.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein wrote: “Chelsea have stepped up talks with Manchester United over deal to sign Alejandro Garnacho. Clubs in touch on topic for some time & now advancing amid Benjamin Sesko joining #MUFC. 21yo winger wants #CFC or nothing + expects move to happen.”
In the past, Alejandro Garnacho attracted attention from clubs such as Napoli, Aston Villa, and Atletico Madrid.
Now, with Chelsea said to be intensifying their pursuit of the Argentine talent, comments made by Ten Hag in 2023 have come back into the spotlight.
Back then, Garnacho had recently signed a new contract with United, prompting Ten Hag to caution that increased expectations would naturally follow.
The Dutch coach also emphasized that Garnacho must push himself further to elevate his game to the next tier.
Ten Hag said: “He also shows he can make the final step – not only in talent but also, he made it. But now it’s a new start, a restart, because now the expectations will be higher, the demands definitely will be higher.
“He is on his way, he is a strong character and that’s why he’s there in the moment on this level, and he did it by himself. But now is coming more work to go because the demands are higher, we expect more from him. But it’s great he made it because it tells we will give young players opportunities, but they have to deserve it.”
He added: “When I say ‘give’, translate it to ‘deserve’ and they have to deserve with their feet, they have to show it on the pitch and that means you have to invest a lot and deserve it by training performances, by performance in the under-21s, then wait for your moment and prove it again.
“For Alejandro, he is that step beyond but now the demands will be even more because he has now to compete for a starting XI position. So, every time is the same: you have to cross limits and every time you have to go in the next level. We go with him in that challenge but most important is the player has to do it.”
During the 24/25 campaign, Garnacho managed 11 goals and 10 assists in 58 games across all competitions for Man United.
Ten Hag’s Bayer Leverkusen are set to face Chelsea on Friday at Stamford Bridge.
