Manchester United could be set to receive a potential boost in the coming days as one star ‘refused to play’ in a Club World Cup fixture on the weekend.
Manchester United signed Alvaro Carreras from Real Madrid in the summer of 2020, and the young full-back quickly made his mark in the club’s youth setup at Old Trafford.
After being named the Under-21s Player of the Year for the 2021/22 season, Carreras impressed on loan at Preston North End the following year, where he earned their Young Player of the Year award.
Despite his progress, he never got an opportunity under Erik ten Hag, who opted to sell him to Benfica in 2023—even amid well-documented issues at left-back.
Now, after excelling in Portugal, the 21-year-old appears poised for a return to Real Madrid as part of Xabi Alonso’s new project next season.
Carreras refusing to play for Benfica amid Madrid move
According to a fresh report from Correio da Manhã, the Spanish defender has refused to play for Benfica in their Club World Cup round-of-16 defeat against Chelsea.
Carreras was an unused substitute despite Bruno Lage using all five of his available changes during the game.
It was further explained that the ex-United player ‘reluctantly’ played in their opening games of the tournament and it became clear to Benfica that he was not fully committed.
With reports suggesting that there has been an agreement with Real Madrid over the structure of a deal, it seems like this move is just a matter of time.
United receive boost from Carreras to Real Madrid
Carreras’ transfer will benefit those at Old Trafford as they look to get some extra cash from sales this summer, which is proving difficult.
His exit is set to cost Madrid around £38 million and 20 per cent of the profit Benfica receive will head to United, which is around £7.7 million.
Read More: Wes Brown says 82-goal star “has been overlooked” until shock Manchester United developments
It isn’t a huge boost but the pure profit will be beneficial for the Reds in the transfer window and give them a little more breathing room with certain targets.
Still, the most important aspect of the summer is sales and United are yet to find a new club for any of their unwanted players.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.