Man Utd star Alejandro Garnacho shows true colours with Chelsea message amid transfer saga

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Alejandro Garnacho has shown his true colours following Chelsea's 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC in the Club World Cup. Enzo Fernandez fired the Blues to victory at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday night, securing three crucial points in the quest for qualification from Group D.

Pedro Neto put Enzo Maresca's side ahead on the half-hour mark. The 25-year-old winger latched onto an excellent pass from Nicolas Jackson, who threaded the ball in-behind the MLS outfit's backline before cutting inside onto his left foot and beating Hugo Lloris at his near post.

At half-time, Enzo Fernandez replaced Romeo Lavia and he picked up from where he left off in the Conference League final last month. Towards the end of the tie, the 24-year-old midfielder latched onto a brilliant cross from Liam Delap, tapping the ball in from close range.

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After the game, Delap, who marked his competitive debut for Chelsea with an assist, posted on Instagram. Captioning a carousel of pictures from the match, the 22-year-old striker said: "First minutes with the boys @chelseafc."

By Tuesday morning, Delap's post eclipsed 150,000 likes, one of which coming from Garnacho. While the duo have never played together, they crossed paths on two occasions in the Premier League this season.

Showing his true colours, the Manchester United star was clearly pleased to see Delap impress for Chelsea. Interestingly, Garnacho was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window.

(Image: Instagram: @liamdelap)

football.london understands that the Blues were one of several clubs interested in signing the Argentina international, with Maresca considering his options on the left wing. Chelsea faced tough competition, with Napoli also looking to sign Garnacho at the time.

It's understood that the west Londoners certainly held an interest in the United ace, but a move never materialised. Garnacho still faces an uncertain future at Old Trafford following a disappointing season.

Despite missing out on a transfer to Chelsea, the Argentina star seems to be keeping tabs on the club's progress. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Blues' clash against LAFC, Maresca heaped great praise on Delap.

"He knows exactly what we can give him, and I know what Liam can give us," said the Italian. "The season we were together, we won the Under-21 competition for the first time for Man City, and he scored 24 goals.

"So it’s a win-win, and the conversation before he joined was an easy conversation. We like Liam, Liam likes us. So it was easy," added Maresca. "When we faced Ipswich, when Liam wasn’t a Chelsea player, I said that for me, he can potentially be England’s No.9.

"That was when he wasn’t even with us. For sure, now he is with us, I will say again I don’t have any doubt he can be a future England No.9."

On Delap's role at Stamford Bridge, with Nicolas Jackson also vying for a place in the starting lineup, Maresca explained: "I never say to a player they will be first choice.

"The message is the same: you arrive, you work hard, you work more than, in this case, the other No.9s, and you can be the first choice. The conversation with Liam was quite clear; he was keen to join us because he knows how we play.

"Liam knows quite well how important the No.9 is. Personally, I don’t see any problem about that; Liam is quite relaxed and easy. He has done well since he arrived and is working well.

"We know each other from years ago, so I know what he can give us, and he knows what we can give to him to help him improve to become a better player. Hopefully, in terms of the No.9, he can score goals for us."

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