Alvaro Fernandez was a total class act on his Benfica debut, he almost made an instant impact

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Manchester United defender Alvaro Fernandez is out on loan at Benfica after switching from Granada.

Among the 11 players Manchester United currently have out on loan, it is Alvaro Fernandez who supporters arguably have the most regret over.

There is disappointment Fernandez was not given a chance during the first half of the season, sent to Granada instead, while United chose to loan in Sergio Reguilon instead.

This was a period where United ultimately gained nothing, with Reguilon failing to command a regular place despite an injury crisis, while the opportunity to actually give Fernandez some playing time, was wasted.

Alvaro Fernandez makes Benfica debut

Alvaro Fernandez is on loan at Benfica, after signing until the end of the season. There is a buy option in there too.

Last night Fernandez made his debut for Benfica as a substitute in the Taca da Liga semi-final in Portugal.

He was sent on as a 82nd minute substitute with the game against Estoril tied at 1-1. Benfica went on to lose on penalties.

None of this was Fernandez’s fault. The more senior stars like Angel di Maria must shoulder the blame for the surprise cup exit.

The Manchester United loanee was not among the penalty takers in the shootout.

How Alvaro Fernandez played

During his limited time on the pitch, Alvaro Fernandez was bright, looking very comfortable in possession and coming close to making an impact in the final third.

He tried to play some clever passes to his teammates, with one cut-back across the box wasted, while another first time volley across the box almost found the striker for a tap-in, before it was cut out.

With just a short opportunity to show what he could do, Fernandez had only seven touches, yet still created one goalscoring chance, per SofaScore. That’s not bad for a marauding full-back.

On a tough night for Benfica, which saw manager Roger Schmidt receive a booking as they were eliminated, Fernandez was a bright spot. It was almost an instant impact from him.

The 20-year-old will hope to have done enough to earn more minutes in Benfica’s next game next week.