4 take-ons, 10 duels won: Ruben Amorim tipped to fix Erik ten Hag mistake by signing ‘transformed’ star at Man Utd

Ruben Amorim has been tipped to fix a mistake by Erik ten Hag by signing a ‘transformed’ star at Manchester United next summer.

Ruben Amorim has not had long in charge at Manchester United but has already began assessing the squad and who fits into his system.

The major conclusion so far has been the need for a natural left back who can operate at left wingback, especially after Luke Shaw’s latest injury setback.

Signing a left wingback has become a priority for the club and re-signing Alvaro Fernandez, also known as Carreras, has been tooted as an option for the club.

Fernandez departed United on a permanent deal to Benfica in the summer after spending the second half of 2023/24 on loan at the Portuguese club.

The modest fee of around £5 million meant that United could insert a buyback clause at around £16 million, which is much cheaper than his general buyout clause at £42 million.

Erik ten Hag was criticised heavily for not giving the Academy star a chance in the first-team squad at Old Trafford despite having no natural options available at left-back for months on end.

One of the major concerns about Fernandez during his time at United and his early months at Benfica was his defensive ability.

However, Portuguese outlet A Bola have massively praised the progress the 21-year-old has made over the last year and his ‘transformation’ at Benfica.

“The new Carreras, the boy who never stops growing Spanish left-back has become fundamental in both attacking and defending,” they wrote.

“And [he] is the greatest work of individual transformation by Benfica’s manager.”

Bruno Lage, the manager at Benfica, has clearly done some tremendous work with Fernandez, who now looks much more solid defensively than in his earlier years.

During Benfica’s 1-0 win over Vitoria Guimarães on the weekend, the left-back showed his abilities going forward and defensively by winning 10 duels and also completing four take-ons.

A Bola described his performance, ‘attacking more correctly, with less risk’.

Should the defender keep up his performances over the course of the season, Sport Witness claim that the £16 million buyback clause ‘looks like business to be done’ for Amorim.

Amorim could end up giving Fernandez the chance at Old Trafford than Ten Hag never did. With it making sense from a financial standpoint, there are many reasons to want this deal.

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 released every Wednesday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.