Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has admitted he is struggling to work out how to get the best out of Alejandro Garnacho.
Garnacho has played on both wings and as number 10 so far this season.
The 20-year-old, who has been linked with a possible exit from Old Trafford during the January transfer window, played 81 minutes on Sunday night in United's 1-0 win at Fulham.
He was substituted shortly after fellow Argentine international Lisandro Martínez scored the only goal of the game at Craven Cottage.
Garnacho has been linked with possible moves to Chelsea and Napoli in recent weeks and Amorim was pressed on the subject of the youngster's future in a post-match press conference.
Amorim admitted that a mid-season departure for Garnacho was at least a possibility and responded: “Nobody knows that.” Anything can happen.
Alejandro Garnacho could leave Manchester United during the January transfer market
When asked about Garnacho's future, United manager Rubén Amorim said: “Nobody knows that.”
'He's improving in every part of the game: understanding, when to defend. I'm trying to find the best position for him. Today he played a little open, not so deep. “We need guys who can play one-on-one.”
Garnacho has made 120 appearances for United since making his debut as a 17-year-old in 2022, but his future at the club is currently unclear.
Mail Sport reported last Thursday that Chelsea were making a formal bid for Garnacho and that the Stamford Bridge side were in a clear race to sign him, with Napoli turning their attention to Borussia Dortmund star Karim Adeyemi.
Napoli had previously failed with multiple bids for Garnacho, despite offering up to £50m. Meanwhile, Chelsea made their initial inquiries last week, to which United responded by putting a £65m price tag on the former Atletico Madrid star.
Garnacho's agents, Carlos Cambeiro and Quique de Lucas, were seen at Chelsea's match against Wolves on Monday. They are believed to be open to the idea of their client moving to London.
Amorim also spoke about Garnacho after last week's 2-1 victory over Rangers in the Europa League.
“I don't know what will happen,” said the coach after Garnacho played the full 90 minutes against the Scottish team. 'Let's focus on the team and the players we have here.
'We don't know what can happen until the window closes. Anything can happen. I'm focused on the games and he's here, he's a Manchester United player. It was very important for us today and we will see in the next few days.
Garnacho made his 120th career appearance for United in Sunday's 1-0 win at Fulham.
After the match, Garnacho was seen applauding United fans traveling to west London.
'I think he is improving in all aspects of the game. Today he was better playing inside, also outside, changing positions, he is improving his recovery position.'
The Portuguese coach continued: “You can see until the 90 minutes that he is always there recovering and helping, sometimes showing some frustration and that is good because he wants more.”
'I think he has the potential to be much better in every situation in the game. What I can say is that he understood what I was trying to do, he was very clear, I just want to help them, but in the end they are the ones who do the job.'
As a youth player, the sale of Garnacho would give United a clear benefit and greater room for maneuver according to the PSR guidelines.
Meanwhile, despite the links to Garnacho, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca played down the speculation when speaking before Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Man City, insisting he was satisfied with his team.
“I'm happy with the (wingers) we have at the moment,” Maresca told reporters. 'I have said it many times, on the right side there is Pedro (Neto) and Noni (Madueke) and on the left side there is Jadon (Sancho).
'Misha (Mudryk) was with us but now he is not with us, Tyrique (George) is a young profile who can help us. “Right now we are fine.”