Alejandro Garnacho offers nod to Man Utd with choice of Chelsea shirt number

Alejandro Garnacho may have left Manchester United under something of a cloud, but his choice of Chelsea shirt number will remind him of happier times at Old Trafford.

Argentina winger Garnacho became part of United manager Ruben Amorim's infamous 'bomb squad' before the end of last season, and he was confined to training with other unwanted stars Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Tyrell Malacia this summer.

At the closure of the transfer window only Malacia remained at United, with Rashford and Sancho joining Barcelona and Aston Villa respectively on loan, Antony returning to Real Betis where he enjoyed a successful loan spell last season, and Garnacho joining Chelsea for £40m.

Garnacho, 21, said goodbye to United fans on Instagram, writing: "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.

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"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."

And Garnacho, who was named in Chelsea's Champions League squad on Wednesday, will be reminded of his time at United every time he looks at his Blues shirt.

That is because Argentinean has picked the No.49 shirt at Stamford Bridge, the same number he wore when he first broke through into the first-team at United.

Speaking after completing his move to Chelsea, Garnacho insisted he has joined the perfect club for him.

"I have a winning mentality. I have passion and a big personality. It’s a natural fit with a club like Chelsea, which have just won the Club World Cup," he said.

"Chelsea are at the top now, and it’s important to fight for the club like the fans deserve. I watched the Club World Cup, and to join the world champions is special – it means we’re the best team in the world!

"It’s not common to have played a lot of games at this age, but it has helped me a lot. I’m only 21 and I have a lot of experience from these different types of games, stadiums and moments."

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