Manchester United vs. Chelsea: Alejandro Garnacho revelation made by Enzo Maresca ahead of Premier League showdown

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has suggested that Alejandro Garnacho could start against former club Manchester United on Saturday evening.

During the closing stages of the summer transfer window, the Blues paid an alleged £40m fee to sign the Argentina international.

Garnacho had dropped out of the plans of Ruben Amorim and had not been considered for selection during the early weeks of the new Premier League campaign.

Since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, the 21-year-old has been provided with an 11-minute substitute outing at Brentford and a further 22 minutes versus Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

However, despite that being his only competitive game time since May, it appears that Garnacho could be trusted from the start at Old Trafford.

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Maresca speaks on Garnacho Man United return

Addressing reporters at a press conference on Friday, Maresca has revealed that he has been impressed with his new addition and suggested that he is fit enough to be thrust into the first XI.

The Italian said, as quoted by football.london: "In the last two games, he was very good when he came on.

"So we are happy with the way he has adapted to our style and what we want from the winger. I think he is ready to start."

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Bold statement on Garnacho

Given how long that it took for Chelsea to wrap up a deal for Garnacho, it is clear that the left-sided winger was a priority choice of Maresca's.

Most Chelsea supporters would have anticipated that Garnacho was only an option for the substitutes' bench this weekend, particularly with the attention that any start would bring.

However, it appears that he could be provided with at least the first half against the Red Devils in what would be a similar move to Jorrel Hato and Facundo Buonanotte being given 45 minutes at Brentford last week.

Furthermore, another new arrival Jamie Gittens is yet to make a positive impression and Garnacho could already be viewed as being ahead of the former Borussia Dortmund man in the pecking order.

Maresca may also be hoping that Garnacho is motivated to prove a point to Amorim given the manner in which he was exiled from the United squad.