Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca spoke about Alejandro Garnacho's fitness situation ahead of Saturday's trip to Brentford. The Argentina international joined the club for a reported £40million (BBC) in August and is still waiting to make his first appearance in the royal blue jersey. This weekend's visit to Gtech Community Stadium could be the perfect opportunity for the winger.
Bear in mind that Chelsea are currently dealing with a few injuries and fitness issues in the final third. The likes of Cole Palmer and Estevao are doubtful for the weekend.
While Maresca admitted that Garnacho himself is not fully match-ready, the former Manchester United man has also shown positive signs. Could he make his debut against Brentford?
As reported by Football London, Maresca said when asked about Garnacho in Friday's press conference:
"He is working well. For sure, he needs to work because he arrived here not 100% fit. He needs to work. He is working well and we will see. Hopefully we can give him minutes."
Garnacho's match sharpness issue ahead of Chelsea debut
It is unsurprising that Garnacho is a bit rusty, having not played competitively for several months. His last appearance was a 20-minute cameo as a substitute for his former club Manchester United in the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in May. Not to mention that he will need time to adjust to a new team at Chelsea.
Garnacho, who prefers to play on the left, will also not be a direct replacement for Palmer or Estevao, who mostly operate on the right or through the middle. Instead, he will likely have to compete with Pedro Neto and Jamie Gittens for a spot on the left flank. That said, the Portuguese international is a versatile player who can move to the right to make space for the Argentine.
For now, some game time as a substitute would arguably be ideal for the 21-year-old while slowly adjusting to Maresca's football. It would take time for wingers to adapt to playing in front of inverted fullbacks, especially Marc Cucurella on the left, at Chelsea. The season is long, and he'll have plenty of chances to prove himself at Stamford Bridge.