Manchester United got their summer transfer business underway just hours after their FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
While most of the Red Devils’ stars were likely celebrating their victory, the club announced that one of their youngsters had secured a permanent move away. Left-back Alvaro Fernandez, who joined Manchester United from Real Madrid in 2020, is moving to Benfica.
Fernandez won the prestigious Denzil Haroun Reserve-Team Player of the Year award in 2021/22 and was named on the bench for four Premier League matches that season. He then went on loan to Preston in 2022/23, where he made 42 appearances.
This season, Fernandez earned a spot on the bench against Nottingham Forest in the third game but spent the first half of the campaign with Granada. His loan spell ended in January, and he was then loaned to Benfica, who have now triggered a £5 million deal to sign him permanently after he helped them finish second in the Portuguese top-flight.
The transfer includes both a buy-back clause and a sell-on clause, as hinted by Manchester United in their confirmation of the deal. “Everyone at United would like to wish Alvaro all the best of luck in the future and will be keeping an eye on his progress,” the statement ended.
“We will be waiting for your return, Alvaro,” said one Manchester United fan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Credit: TalkSport
