Manchester United star instantly regretted Chelsea switch – two years after Premier League record transfer

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Alejandro Garnacho could have second thoughts over a potential switch to Chelsea after one Manchester United cult hero labelled it as his biggest regret.The Red Devils winger has been linked with a switch to west London this summer with the 21-year-old not in Ruben Amorim’s plans going forward.Garnacho could swap United for Chelsea this summer in a shock transferGettyThe Argentine has been vocal about his discontent at UnitedGettytalkSPORT understands Garnacho is keen on the move to Stamford Bridge but United are pushing for a deal of at least £40million.Should Garnacho swap Old Trafford for Stamford Bridge, he would be the first player in 22 years to move directly from United to Chelsea on a permanent deal.The last player to make the move was his compatriot Juan Sebastian Veron in 2003.It was a decision that the Argentina legend would almost instantly regret.United splashed out a then-British transfer record of £28.1million to bring Veron to England from Lazio in 2001.Regarded as one of the world’s top midfielders, Sir Alex Ferguson hailed his side’s acquisition of the box-to-box maestro.He said of the player’s arrival: “I never thought I’d spend this much money on a footballer.“I think he’s coming into great years of his career and he will peak and we’ll get the benefit of that.“He is a world-class, fantastic footballer with a vision of a game we can use.”Veron scored 11 goals in 82 matches in all competitions for United – helping the Red Devils win back the Premier League title from Arsenal in his second season.Veron won the Premier League title during his two-year stay at Old TraffordAFPBut the less said of his time at Chelsea, the better…GettyBut he was allowed to depart months later, with Chelsea‘s new owner Roman Abramovich identifying Veron as the perfect player to showcase his ambitions plans for the future.What happened to Juan Sebastian Veron at Chelsea?He joined for £15m – almost half of what he cost United two years earlier – and made an instant impression by scoring on his debut in a 2-1 win away at Liverpool.But little did Veron – and the Chelsea faithful know – that would be as good as it got for the player at his new side.Veron would go on to feature in just six more top-flight matches as he struggled with injuries and a lack of form.He also left boss Claudio Ranieri dumbfounded when he initially refused to come off the bench in their Champions League semi-final first leg defeat to Monaco, before eventually being persuaded to do so.After just 14 appearances in his debut campaign, he would never play for Chelsea again.Veron was a high-profile arrival at Stamford Bridge in 2003 after joining from UnitedGettyBack-to-back loan spells at Inter Milan would follow, where he would win the Serie A and two Coppa Italia titles, before being loaned to boyhood club Estudiantes for the 2006/07 campaign.And in 2007 he sealed a permanent move to the Argentine outfit to finally bring an end to his Chelsea nightmare.As Veron put in when discussing his Chelsea move in 2019, he should never have left United.What did Veron say about his time at Chelsea?He said: “At Chelsea, the reality is that I had very little time. I had a major back injury and I was out for practically six months.“I was already thinking more about going back to Italy than staying there in England.”Before adding: “With United, the truth is that there are few things, very few, that I regret.Veron started his Chelsea career on fire with a goal at Anfield, which would be the highlight of his stayGetty Images - Getty“But one is to have left Manchester.“They never pushed me or told me, ‘You have to go’, but they gave me the chance, the possibility.“I had talks with my former colleagues at that time telling me that I had to stay.“And at one moment I decided to leave because I wanted to play, because I didn’t know… I should have stayed.”Having his say on the deal which saw him reluctantly agree to sell Veron, Ferguson stated: “He didn’t want to go.“His agent was speaking to Chelsea and he knew it was happening.Veron featured in just seven Premier League matches during his ill-fated four-year spell at Chelsea“We had to look at the long-term view and, overall, the package we received was too good to turn down.”Veron’s transfer down south seemed doomed from the start, with his ex-Chelsea teammate Robert Huth revealing he soon lost the faith of the dressing room.He told The Athletic: “He carried an aura to him, but one thing that’s not very forgiving is a football club’s changing room.“It’s all well and good having an aura and a successful playing career behind you, but if you step into the changing room and don’t really cut it, either in training or on a match day, that aura is lost pretty quickly.”Only Jadon Sancho has made the move to Chelsea from United in the 22 years since Veron’s switch, with the winger joining on loan last season, where he scored in their UEFA Conference League final triumph.But like Veron, he flattered to deceive, with Chelsea ending up paying United £5m to avoid turning his temporary switch into a permanent stay.Garnacho, you’ve been warned…