Alejandro Garnacho seen wearing an Aston Villa shirt long before move agreed

Alejandro Garnacho was seen wearing an Aston Villa shirt last summer but could not have possibly known the move would become reality a year later.

The Villans have completed the signing of the 22-year-old, agreeing a loan deal with Chelsea and an obligation to buy him next summer.

Unai Emery is reportedly the driving force behind the deal for the winger, who is expected to be officially announced in the coming days.

Garnacho's move to Villa comes just days after Chelsea signed Morgan Rogers in a £117million deal, and he will partially represent a replacement.

The former Manchester United forward only joined Chelsea last summer in a deal worth £40m.

After just one Premier League goal in 24 Premier League appearances, the Blues have decided to cut their losses.

Alejandro Garnacho's Aston Villa shirt

Off-pitch issues littered Garnacho's final season at Man United and ultimately led to his departure.

The winger had broken through as a teenager in 2023, becoming a prominent part of the first team in the 2023-24 season and thriving.

The young Argentine was an incredibly exciting talent and looked to have all the tools to become a superstar.

But the 2024-25 season saw Garnacho start to struggle for form, finding himself on the bench more. He has since admitted that he was wrong for several incidents which saw him publicly strop about the decision, while his brother repeatedly slammed the manager on social media.

In December, both the winger and Marcus Rashford were dropped from the squad to face Manchester City due to non-injury issues.

The latter did not return, and was loaned to Villa in the January transfer window. In an Instagram post after the season had ended, Garnacho shared a picture of himself wearing a Villa shirt with Rashford on the back.

Garnacho and Marcus Rashford go full circle

Just two years ago, Garnacho was Man United's next great talent and potentially Rashford's future replacement.

The England international had been struggling to recapture his previous form and looked to be on the way out, eventually joining Villa.

Fast forward 18 months and Garnacho is now on his way to Villa, while Rashford is back at Man United and looking set to stay.

Emery reignited Rashford's career and brought back his confidence - who is to say he cannot do the same with Garnacho?