Alvaro Fernandez continues to show Manchester United that selling him was a huge mistake.
United in Focus were exclusively told by transfer expert Graeme Bailey that club insiders regret selling Alvaro Fernandez in 2024.
United sold Fernandez for just £5 million, but the Spanish defender is now turning into a superstar after completing a £43 million move to Real Madrid.
Ineos missed the chance to re-sign Fernandez at United over the summer, and now his performances in Spain have hugely inflated his value.
Fernandez has been a “phenomenon” for Madrid and he keeps getting better and better. Perhaps his best performance to date came this weekend against Valencia.
Alvaro Fernandez scores first Real Madrid goal
Real Madrid extended their lead in La Liga on Saturday with a 4-0 win over Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Alvaro Fernandez played the full 90 minutes at left-back and scored Madrid’s final goal of the match to finally open his goalscoring account at his new club. He found the top corner of the goal with a superb left-footed strike.
After scoring, Fernandez raced to the fans and kissed the Madrid badge – a celebration that will only inflict more pain to United fans who watched him develop at Carrington.
Spanish outlet Marca described it as a “dream” night for Fernandez, and the United academy graduate spoke about his performance after the full-time whistle.
“It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I got here, but I wasn’t in a hurry. I hit it with all my heart, not just my leg. It went in, so I’m super happy. Thank God it went in.
“I’m a defender, I don’t think about celebrations. I didn’t know how to celebrate, so I kissed the badge. It’s a dream come true.”
Spanish media rave about Alvaro Fernandez display vs Valencia
Unlike Erik ten Hag did at United, Xabi Alonso has shown complete faith in Fernandez this season, with the left-back playing every single minute of Madrid’s La Liga campaign this season.
He has become a favourite among fans, and Spanish media cannot stop praising the 22-year-old star.
ESPN compared Fernandez to Real Madrid and Brazil legend Roberto Carlos: “In true Roberto Carlos style, the left-footed player blasted a cross-shot past Valencia that went into the top corner and became impossible for the goalkeeper.”
READ MORE: Former Man United star Alvaro Fernandez amazed Spanish media with ‘supersonic’ Real Madrid moment
Given a 7/10 rating by Sport, they wrote: “The full-back scored one of the goals of the day in one of the final plays of the match. For the rest of the game, he had a very quiet game, with virtually no defensive work to do, and he took advantage of one of his few forays forward to score a fantastic goal.”
Mundo Deportivo praised Fernandez’s “great goal” and added: “A good game from the full-back who won the penalty that Vinicius missed and scored the 4-0 with a great finish.”
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