Garnacho delivers perfect response to Chelsea transfer plans | Football | Sport

Alejandro Garnacho delivered an emphatic answer to being named on the bench for Chelsea’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg loss to Arsenal. The former Manchester United forward netted twice in just 37 minutes after coming off the bench at Stamford Bridge, breathing life into the Blues’ hopes in the tie.

Arsenal had a comfortable lead after goals from Ben White and Viktor Gyokeres, but Garnacho pulled one back with an excellent finish at the far post. Although Martin Zubimendi restored the Gunners’ two-goal cushion, Garnacho struck again, leaving the first leg poised at 3-2.

Chelsea will travel to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg next month, with Garnacho reflecting on both the upcoming fixture and his contribution as a substitute, reports the Manchester Evening News.

It appears the Argentina has gained a renewed outlook and matured considerably during his time at Chelsea, with his recent interview revealing his character and acceptance that he won’t feature in every starting line-up.

“I always try to do my best, and today I helped with goals off the bench,” Garnacho told Chelsea’s club website. “Every attacker wants to score goals, but my job is to try and help the team. Sometimes you play from the start, and other times you don’t. The players on the bench are just as important as the players in the first XI, and I just tried to do my best.

“I think we are still in it. The game is open, there’s just one goal difference. We know how hard it is to play at the Emirates, but we know the team we have, and we know what we can do. We have to go there and give everything.

“We always try to win the games, and it’s frustrating when you don’t win the game. We started a little bit slowly, but in the second half we were much better. We now have to try everything in the second leg.”

Garnacho has experienced a difficult beginning to his time in west London, with Chelsea already contemplating further attacking reinforcements despite bringing him and Jamie Gittens to the club last summer.

The Blues made enquiries about Antoine Semenyo but decided against pursuing a deal with Bournemouth before his move to Manchester City materialised.

According to The Athletic, Chelsea have ‘already shown’ that recruiting another forward remains a top priority for the summer window, given the inconsistent form of Garnacho, Pedro Neto and Gittens. Yet the former United player delivered the ideal response to Chelsea’s transfer strategy with his brace on Wednesday evening.

Despite the significant player turnover, evidenced by Noni Madueke’s transfer to Arsenal two-and-a-half years after arriving from PSV, Garnacho simply answered “no” when questioned whether he had any regrets about his switch from United.

Garnacho later explained: “Sometimes in life you need to change things to take a step forward or improve as a player. It was the right moment, and the right club. So it was an easy decision.”

The Argentina international was sidelined from Ruben Amorim‘s pre-season preparations and subsequently included as part of United’s ‘bomb-squad’ alongside Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia.

Chelsea paid out £40million for Garnacho’s signature, with a 10 per cent sell-on clause included in the deal – a clause that could well be triggered given Chelsea’s market strategies.

The 21-year-old remained on the bench during his first return to Old Trafford, with United clinching a 2-1 victory. Now under the leadership of Michael Carrick, Garnacho is set to face his former team in mid-April at Stamford Bridge.