Rumours are emerging from Manchester United that academy star Alvaro Fernandez might be sent out on loan next season. It is even more likely now, following Man United’s capture of Tyrell Malacia. The Feyenoord left-back was bound for Olympique Lyon but United hijacked the deal.
The Red Devils have already signed the Dutch left-back while Christian Eriksen to Old Trafford seems imminent. New arrivals in a team usually indicate competition for spots in the squad and left-back Alvaro Fernandez might have to leave if he wants to get some first-team experience in the upcoming 2022/23 season.
The young defender arrived in Manchester from Real Madrid’s academy in 2020. The 19-year-old has continued to perform exceptionally for the youth team and his consistent displays earned him United’s U-23 Player of The Season award in 2022.
The Fernandez family made frequent trips to and fro Manchester week in and week out during the last few days of interim manager Ralf Rangnick’s tenure. They were hoping to see their young prodigy make his senior debut after his inspired run of form was rewarded with a spot on the bench with the senior team for Rangnick’s last four games in charge.
The Fernandez family might have to wait a bit longer to see the defender don the senior United colours. With the arrival of Malacia in the United setup, the first team now features three options for Ten Hag to choose from – Luke Shaw who suffered a dip in form last season but has been a mainstay in the Premier League for over ten years now, Alex Telles who was the preferred choice for Rangnick and now the new arrival, Malacia.
With a plethora of options at hand, it is difficult to imagine the Spanish full-back receiving enough minutes, if any, if he were to stay on at the club. According to Manchester Evening News, the arrival of the Dutch left-back could see Alvaro Fernandez looking for minutes elsewhere while still being a part of the club.
It seems like the new United boss Erik ten Hag has given chances to the 19-year-old to prove himself on the training ground and one might expect to see him feature in games during the pre-season tour. Meaningful minutes during the season, however, can be out of reach. According to MEN, the club seriously considered loaning out the player in January but decided against it to continue his development at Old Trafford.
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Quick, smart, and two-footed, the young left-back is an intelligent player moulded into a modern-day fullback. The Spaniard is exactly the sort of defender United were looking for when they signed Alex Telles. The youngster is quite attack-minded and has scored some wonderful goals for the United U-23s against big names such as Chelsea and Manchester City. This is to be expected because Fernandez is indeed a striker converted to a full-back.
It will be exciting to see how the young defender develops in the future after already making a mark on the fans following his stellar displays in the youth lineup. However, to progress, Fernandez will have to regularly feature in the top tiers of football and prove his worth. To do that, he needs more game time and experience. So, it makes sense why Ten Hag believes it’s best to send the player out on loan.
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