Man United left-back Alvaro Fernandez joins Benfica permanently
Manchester United left-back Alvaro Fernandez has joined Primeira Liga club Benfica on a permanent deal, according to confirmed reports. The Red Devils should undergo a major overhaul this summer and the Spanish defender becomes the first sale of this transfer window.
Alvaro Fernandez began his youth career with Spanish club Racing de Ferrol in 2007. In 2012, he joined Deportivo de La Coruna, before joining Real Madrid in 2017. He joined Manchester United’s academy in 2020 and played for the club’s various youth teams until 2022 before being called up to the senior team.
From 2022 to 2024, despite being part of the senior team, the Spaniard has not played a single match with the Red Devils. He spent three loan spells during this period. He joined Preston North End in 2022 on a season-long loan, a highly successful loan spell having made 42 appearances (stats via Transfermarkt) for the Lancashire side.
At the start of the 2023-24 campaign, the 21-year-old was loaned for the entire season to La Liga club Granada, where he made 14 appearances. However, in January 2024, he was recalled and sent to Benfica on loan until the end of the season.
Now, as reported by the Manchester United website, Alvaro Fernandez has signed a permanent contract with Benfica and will join the team at the end of the season. He signed a 5-year contract with the Portuguese club until the summer of 2029 with a buyout clause of 50 million euros.
The Spanish defender initially joined the Primeira Liga club on a six-month loan during the January transfer window. However, the Portuguese giants have decided to trigger the optional buy clause in his contract, which is said to be worth around £5million, and sign him permanently.
🔴🦅 Benfica triggers the purchase option clause for Álvaro Fernández, agreement concluded today.
Álvaro signs with Benfica for the next five years.
Manchester United will receive fees of around 6 million euros.
❗️ #MUFC will have a repurchase clause, corresponding rights and also a resale clause. pic.twitter.com/YPQKnnBZ99
-Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 23, 2024
The left-back was able to showcase his talent and potential and became a first-team regular for the Lisbon-based club. The youngster made 16 appearances in all competitions during his loan spell. He impressed the club’s management with his performances and made them exercise the purchase clause.
With this agreement, the full-back becomes the first player sold by Manchester United during this summer transfer window. The Red Devils are set to undergo a major squad overhaul this summer and are prepared to offer deals to a significant number of players.
In his first interview after completing his permanent move to Benfica, Alvaro Fernandez said (via Tribal Football):
“I am very happy with their confidence in me.
“Since I arrived, I wanted to continue wearing this jersey and I want to fight next year for all the titles possible, with the support of the fans. Let’s go Benfica!
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Without a doubt, Alvaro Fernandez is a young defender with a lot of potential and will be a great asset for Benfica. He has great speed and skill and will have plenty of opportunities to hone his talent. There are better chances of playing first team at the Portuguese club and attracting attention from other big European clubs.
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