Liam Rosenior Breaks Silence On Alejandro Garnacho’s Bad Spell

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has come in defense of Alejandro Garnacho, revealing that the young winger is currently navigating a very difficult thing in his personal life.

Garnacho has failed to make great impact at Chelsea, having join the Blues from Manchester United in the summer. The Argentina international has faced a hostile atmosphere from rival fans and even sections of the home crowd at times.

Speaking ahead of Chelsea trip to Aston Villa, Rosenior shed light on the maturity Garnacho has shown during a period of private turmoil. “Garna is an outstanding player,” Rosenior said. “I have really liked in this period his reaction to not starting. He has been training very well. Garna has put himself in a really, really good place in the last few weeks and he’s more than knocking on the door to start. We’ve got to take into account that Garna is 21. He’s got huge ability. He’s got huge potential.”

Rosenior went on to reveal just how much the player has been carrying in secret, including an incident where he prioritised club duties before addressing a family matter.

Alejandro Garnacho warms up prior to the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Hull City and Chelsea. (Photo by Chelsea Football Club/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

The Chelsea chief stated: “He’s had a very difficult thing happen in his life recently as well. And rather than tell me about that, he wanted to put himself forward for a game and told me after the game where he had to go back home. People make judgments based on the way people look. Garna is a really, really good character who works really hard every day in training and I know in the end his quality is going to show in a really consistent way.”

When asked why the winger is targeted by some Chelsea fans, the Blues boss replied: “Because people judge books by their cover. All I go off is what I know about someone, and not what I’ve heard about them or how they are perceived.” He also categorically denied suggestions that the player is prone to simulation when asked if Garnacho was guilty of diving, responding with a firm: “No.”

The manager added that the booing should be viewed as a backhanded compliment by the player, even if the personal nature of the vitriol is hard to stomach. “I don’t understand. I don’t understand why that happens,” Rosenior added. “Maybe it’s because he can be such a threat. Playing for a club like Chelsea, that just comes with the territory. You have to rise above that and not take notice of it. That’s the best way for me. I don’t think you use it as fuel. Your motivation should be there anyway to perform. It’s not something that we’ve spoken about. We’ve had many conversations, but opposition fans booing you normally means you’re a threat for the opposition. All Garna needs to do is keep working really hard because his ability is not in question.”