Erik ten Hag has been without a natural left-back this season (Image: Getty)
has been without an out-and-out left-back for what seems like an eternity. In right-footers or , have perfectly capable deputies, but the team’s balance would undoubtedly improve with a natural left-sided option.
has not played a single game this season due to injury, while Tyrell Malacia has not played a single game since the campaign before last. The pair’s patchy fitness records have forced Ten Hag to improvise, and though the absence of an orthodox left-back is not the only reason for United’s recent struggles, it will not have helped the Dutchman as he scrambles to keep hold of his job.
Some Red Devils fans were mystified when the club sold Alvaro Fernandez to Benfica for just this summer. The 21-year-old is a Spanish Under-21 international with experience in the Championship and La Liga, as well as Real Madrid’s youth teams.
A left-back through and through, Fernandez, who spent last season on loan at Benfica before the move was made permanent, is settling into life overseas. And the Portuguese press were bowled over by his performance in Wednesday night’s 4-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
“Make way for Alvaro Carreras,” wrote Record. “Confident, uninhibited, aggressive and with a lot of football at his feet, that was how the left-back presented himself at Luz, creating a lot of danger down the wing.”
Alvaro Fernandez excelled against Atletico Madrid this week (Image: Getty)
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Meanwhile O Jogo wrote: “In defence, he barely made any mistakes and won back several balls. In attack, he added depth to the flank and was an important support for the attack.”
Thankfully for Ten Hag, United’s transfer team was smart enough to insert a number of clauses into the deal which took Fernandez to Benfica, one of which being an agreement for the club to buy him back for an undisclosed, fixed fee, should they desire.
United can also match any bid made by a rival suitor if it falls below that fixed fee. On top of that, they negotiated a sell-on clause in case Fernandez moves elsewhere further down the line, although further injury issues for Shaw and Malacia could prompt Ten Hag to consider bringing him back to Old Trafford.
Fernandez left the Red Devils without making a senior appearance. But given the problems United are experiencing in his favoured left-back position, his flashes of brilliance in Portugal, and the tendency for Shaw and Malacia to miss games, the fact those clauses exist could, at some point, prove to be a godsend for Ten Hag.