Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has admitted he is a fan of Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho.
The Blues travel to the Red Devils on Wednesday with both sides looking to breathe fresh life into their flailing seasons. Pochettino’s Chelsea climbed back into the top half of the Premier League with a battling win against Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, while Erik ten Hag’s side dropped to seventh a day earlier having lost to Newcastle United.
Ahead of that trip to Old Trafford, Pochettino was asked for his thoughts on compatriot Garnacho, who has broken into the Argentina senior team over the last year.
Garnacho is finding form again / Seskim Photo/MB Media/GettyImages
“He is an exciting player, young and talented,” Pochettino replied. “It’s not surprising to us because we knew about him when he was in Spain before moving to Manchester. It’s good to see a young player being brave and showing the talent that he is showing.
“He is Argentinian and Spanish. He is the opposite of me because I am Argentinian-Spanish; he is Spanish-Argentinian.
“It’s exciting because it’s good to have these type of players for the national team and I’m excited to see him on the pitch.”
Garnacho was born and raised in Spain but opted to represent Argentina, who he is eligible to represent through his mother. He progressed through the youth ranks at Getafe and Atletico Madrid before joining United in 2020.
Pochettino, meanwhile, holds Spanish citizenship having spent over a decade at Espanyol as a player and manager, often spending holidays back at his home in Barcelona. His sons Sebastiano, who is on Chelsea’s coaching staff, and Maurizio, who plays for Gimnastic Tarragona, were born in Spain.