Former Manchester United forward Alejandro Garnacho has been described as 'shy and misunderstood' by Chelsea insiders. At the end of August last year, Garnacho was shipped out to Stamford Bridge after his acrimonious falling out with Ruben Amorim left him in United's 'bomb squad'.
However, his move to west London was anything but a success, as only one of his eight goals for the Blues came in the Premier League. His exit from United came under a dark cloud, as Amorim had banished him not long after Garnacho publicly hit out at the then Reds boss for not starting him in the Europa League final.
Financial boost for United
Nevertheless, one silver lining for United is they are set to bank a healthy sum from Garnacho's next move to Aston Villa. He will move to Villa Park on loan, but if some achievable conditions are met, the Midlands club will pay a set fee of £42.5million to sign him permanently.
As a result of a sell-on clause United inserted into his £40m move to Chelsea last season, the club retain a 10 per cent sell-on clause. Should Villa make the move for Garnacho permanent, the Reds will bank around £4.25m, although they will need to wait until the loan is upgraded.
Performance and perception
He managed just eight goals and four assists in 43 appearances last season, with four of those strikes coming in the League Cup. According to our colleagues at football.london, his medical has already been completed and a four-year contract is set to be signed, should his obligation-to-buy clause be triggered.
There is a perception that Garnacho is brash, arrogant and difficult to work with, yet this view is not shared by those within the club. 'Shy and misunderstood' are the words used by club insiders to describe him, according to the Daily Mail.
They also urged people to bear in mind that Garnacho is still young, only 22, and was just 21 when he first arrived at the west London club. There remains time for him to fulfil his potential, and Villa may well be the ideal environment for him to do so.
Controversy and ambition
Those outside Chelsea may find it difficult to share that assessment of his character, given the controversy that appears to follow him. On social media, he has frequently displayed his flamboyant tattoos, including one of the Joker which covers his entire back.
Following his omission from Argentina's World Cup squad, Garnacho also debuted a set of dreadlocks, which extended from the crown of his head to below his chin, attracting considerable attention across social media platforms.
There was also the issue of his goal celebrations, which frequently involved him sitting on an advertising hoarding and turn his back to opposition supporters.
Departure from United
The circumstances surrounding his departure from United may have further tarnished his reputation. He was marginalised by Amorim soon after publicly saying: 'Up until the final I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don't know,' having only featured for 19 minutes in the 1-0 loss to Tottenham.
Garnacho departed United under a dark cloud and, despite never being in Amorim's plans from that point forward, did not secure his move to Stamford Bridge until 30th August. The Argentine, meanwhile, does appear to harbour ambitions of performing at the highest level.
