Alvaro Fernandez may well count himself unlucky that the club believed he wasn’t ready for senior first-team opportunities.
The Spanish left-back, who joined the club in 2020 from Real Madrid, went on loan to Preston North End last season and is now set to feature in La Liga.
There were some concerns that the deal to take Alvaro Fernandez to the Spanish side would include an option to buy but, according to The Athletic, the deal is just a straight loan and the defender will return to the club next season.
Fernandez assisted Marc Jurado’s goal against Wrexham and has looked positive in the cameos he has made for the club during pre-season.
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Should Fernandez have been given first-team opportunities
The Athletic‘s piece on Fernandez has stated that United have noted his maturity and his application during his time at the EFL Championship club.
Despite the defender being inexperienced at the highest level, it does seem the defender could have been ready to contribute to the first team.
But, it seems United believes his best course of action is to go out on loan to Spain and continue his development in a top European league.
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Fernandez’s future at Old Trafford
According to the report, United believes that Fernandez has the potential to excel at Old Trafford in the future and could well be good enough to compete with Luke Shaw if the Spaniard’s loan in Spain goes well.
The left-back may well struggle to get into the first team but seemingly the Red Devils believe he could do that.
It’s been noted, according to the report, that United have been impressed with the Spaniard’s versatility and ability to play on his right foot, rather than consistently going down the left-hand side.
The defender has also been able to move to midfield as was seen for Preston’s game against Luton Town last season.
You have to wonder though, with Tyrell Malacia also in the mix, whether Fernandez will ever get the opportunity for first team games at Old Trafford, which has just passed him by.