Manchester United are having the last laugh with Alejandro Garnacho

Alejandro Garnacho seemed happy to leave Man Utd last summer, but his time at Stamford Bridge has not worked out.

Alejandro Garnacho's career was on an upward trajectory until the beginning of last year.

There were cracks appearing at Manchester United due to his behaviour, and a move to Chelsea offered him a chance to progress again after a few months of stagnation, but his time in London has not gone to plan.

Chelsea are open to selling Garnacho this summer, having decided he can leave after just one season. Although Chelsea is a not the most stable of clubs, it reflects terribly on Garnacho that the Blues, and new manager Xabi Alonso, are already prepared to cut their losses.

There was criticism levelled at United when they sold Garnacho for £40million, with some arguing the fee was too low, but their hands were tied, and Chelsea are unlikely to make that back if a buyer can be found this summer.

Garnacho has been linked to a move to Serie A side Roma. They are a big club in Italy, but even a Garnacho PR team could not build a case that moving to Roma is not a huge regression from representing United.

The 22-year-old had the world at his feet at Old Trafford. He wasn't far off recording double digits for goals and assists in three successive seasons at United, and there was a feeling that he had plenty more to offer.

Garnacho contributed eight goals and four assists in his debut campaign at Chelsea. That level of output was fine when he was first breaking through at United, but greater consistency is now expected.

The winger only has himself to blame for how his career has unfolded over the last 18 months. He had three warnings with Ruben Amorim, and he was turfed out, with the former United boss deciding enough was enough.

The three strikes in question: Garnacho was dropped from the squad for the Manchester derby, he stormed down the tunnel after being taken off against Ipswich Town and he mouthed off after the Europa League final.

There was no remorse from Garnacho when he completed a transfer to Stamford Bridge.

"Do you have any regrets about how things ended at Manchester United?" he was asked by a journalist before Chelsea played in December. "No," he responded. "Do you feel sad about how it finished?" was the swift follow-up question from the reporter. "No," Garnacho replied.

The reality of Garnacho's situation began to dawn on him, though. He said of United in April: "I think nothing really went wrong, you know, it's sometimes different moments in life. I remember in the last six months, I was just not playing like before at Manchester United.

"I started to be on the bench, it's not a bad thing, I was only 20 years old, but in my mind it was like I had to play every game. In my mind, maybe it is also on me, I started to do some bad things.

"But yes, it was just this moment in life, and sometimes you have to make decisions, and I am really proud to be here and still in the Premier League at a club like this. Everyone knows the team we have and the things we can do. Sometimes, we have better moments or worse moments.

"I am proud to be here [Chelsea], but with United, I have nothing wrong to say about the club, no one in the club or the teammates. It's just a moment in life that change and life continues. We have to look forward."

Garnacho was asked whether he stuck by his 'no regrets' admission. "I remember that press conference, it was my first with the club, so I knew some people were going to ask things like this to create something that I didn't want, so I just said no to close the question," he said.

"But I don't have anything bad to say, and it was a very good moment in my life. Sometimes you have to change things. Maybe it's a good decision, maybe it's bad, but in football, sometimes you have to make decisions in the moment. Now I'm really happy and proud to be here."

It was then fascinating to hear Garnacho admit that the circumstances around his exit were regrettable. "Yeah, maybe yes, because I loved that club, you know," he said about whether it hurt him.

"They gave me the confidence from the start, from Spain, to bring me to the academy, then they brought me to the first team, so it was like four or five years, and amazing love from everyone, from the fans, the stadium, everything was really good.

"It's just sometimes you have to change for the good of your life or the next steps. You never know in life what is going to happen. I only have good memories of Man United. The time we spent together was really good."

United were a better fit than Chelsea for Garnacho and he is now facing the music. A move to Italy would be a backward step for a player who, not too long ago, backed himself to become one of the best in the Premier League.

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