Until very recently, another of the players loaned out by Manchester United looked set to go the same way as Donny van de Beek and Hannibal Mejbri.
The Red Devils already look set to miss out on a combined £27 million windfall, with Eintracht Frankfurt already planning to send Van de Beek back to Old Trafford and Hannibal barely featuring for Sevilla.
Add in the Jadon Sancho situation – Borussia Dortmund have made no secret of the fact that a permanent deal may be beyond their means – and Ineos’ hopes of raising invaluable transfer funds via player sales appears complicated, to say the least.
At least things appear to be moving in the right direction for Manchester United’s Alvaro Fernandez, the left-back with a £5 million option-to-buy clause in his own contract belatedly making his mark at Benfica.
Fernandez, or Alvaro Carreras as he is known by some, started successive Primeira Liga games for the first time in April. He also scored his maiden goal for the Lisbon giants, a rare right-footed finish in a 3-1 triumph over Estoril.
Suddenly, it no longer feels quite so certain that Benfica will be shipping the former Preston North End loanee back to England, with former Eagles defender Joao Manuel Pinto urging his old employers to consider keeping Fernandez in the capital.
Manchester United may sell Alvaro Fernandez to Benfica
“(Fernandez) is a player who fits into Benfica’s offensive process and ideas,” Pinto tells O Jogo. “He appears often in the penalty area, crosses well, moves into midfield well and defends well.
“With Carreras, Benfica can make better use of their offensive ideas. He appears in the end zone and finishes. And he also showed that he has aggression.”
For Pinto, the only disappointment is that Fernandez hasn’t featured ‘more often’. The 21-year-old Spaniard certainly took his time winning over Benfica coach Roger Schmidt, and even found himself back on the bench for Saturday’s victory over Braga.
“The fact that he has a left foot gives the team another strength,” adds Pinto, the right-footed Fredrik Aursnes having filled in on the flank recently with mixed results.
“A full-back has to create spaces, appear in the area, and have creativity. And Carreras has those things. He is a player with quality and hunger for the game. He has already shown that.
“I like him. He needs to play more, but he is very useful, I believe he will seize the opportunity. With playing time he acquires rhythm and confidence. It was like that with Grimaldo. You have to remember that he also had a period of adaptation and that the best time was the last one.”
United looking at new left-backs
Grimaldo, after a sluggish start to life at Benfica, blossomed into one of the first names on the team sheet. Now at Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, there has arguably not been a better left-back in the whole of European football over the last six months or so.
Benfica, meanwhile, have only three Primeira Liga games remaining. How Fernandez performs in those – if given the chance to – could be the deciding factor in whether he returns to Man United in the summer or departs permanently.
“These last games will allow us to better understand whether Benfica should sign him permanently”, adds Pinto, capped once by Portugal. “Given that the evaluation depends on Roger Schmidt and (president) Rui Costa, I think he has already given good indications.
“This season things didn’t go well with four or five full-backs, but they went well with him.”
Man United are expected to target a new left-back this summer, rather than put their faith in Fernandez. Melvin Bard – known well to Ineos following his time at Nice – is one United are reportedly in contact with.
