Bruno Fernandes wasn't afraid to put Alejandro Garnacho in his place with 10-word comment

Bruno Fernandes has revealed that Alejandro Garnacho didn't "have the best attitude" when he emerged from the Manchester United youth ranks. The 21-year-old has now severed ties with the club completely after finally completing his switch to Chelsea.

The Argentine winger penned his first professional deal with the Red Devils in 2022 following his arrival from Atletico Madrid two years earlier. Yet United skipper Fernandes suggested Garnacho lacked the proper mindset when he stepped up to the senior squad under Erik ten Hag. Speaking in November 2022, following Garnacho's match-winning strike in a Europa League group encounter against Real Sociedad, Fernandes told BT Sport: "He was good but he knows we expect a lot from him. He's still really young, doing really well. At the beginning of the season, he was not at his best."

Digging deeper, Fernandes explained: "On the [pre-season] tour he did not have the best attitude. That's why he didn't get his chance until now. He's getting his chances because he's training better, he's having the correct attitude."

Garnacho was handed plenty of opportunities during his debut campaign for the Red Devils, notching three goals and two assists in the Premier League across 19 games. And while the youngster appeared set to feature in Ruben Amorim's plans when the Portuguese boss took over from Ten Hag, circumstances shifted as the summer approached.

Amorim's choice to consider Garnacho expendable at Old Trafford followed the winger's public criticism of being dropped for the team's Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho was only introduced during the second half of the 1-0 loss in Bilbao, and following the match, he told reporters: "Until we reached the final, I played every round.

"And I played 20 minutes today - I don't know. I'm going to try to enjoy the summer and see what happens next."

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He also slammed the club's Premier League campaign as they finished in a dreary 15th position, adding: "Obviously it's hard for everyone. Our season was s***. We didn't beat anyone in the league. We lacked a lot of things. When you don't score goals, you always need more."

According to The Athletic, Amorim reportedly told Garnacho: "You better hope you have a good agent this summer," during a training ground conversation before United's final fixture of the campaign against Aston Villa, with the player subsequently making it known that Chelsea was his preferred destination.

While the Blues were in no particular hurry to lodge a formal bid for Garnacho, they ultimately secured their target in the closing stages of the summer transfer window, paying £40million to remove him from United's books on a lengthy contract running until 2032.

Posting on Instagram following his exit, Garnacho was swift to share his gratitude to the Red Devils and their fans for his spell in the north west. In a heartfelt message, he wrote: "Dear Manchester. After an unforgettable five years, this special chapter in my life now comes to a close.

"We have created moments that will stay with me forever, and I'm very grateful for this. To the coaches, staff, and my teammates, thank you for believing in me. Every time I wore the badge, I gave everything I had.

"I leave proud of what we achieved together and excited for what's to come. Wishing the club nothing but success for the future, while I look forward to giving my all in the next chapter of my career."

Several of Garnacho's United colleagues were swift to respond to his post, with Kobbie Mainoo commenting: "All the best bro," whilst ex-Red Devils defender Sam Murray wrote: "All the best hermano," and the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund and Fernandes showed their support by liking the post.

Regrettably, Chelsea supporters will have to bide their time before they can see Garnacho strut his stuff for his new team, due to the ongoing international break. The Blues are set to return to the pitch on Saturday, 13 September, when they take on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.