Why Manchester United’s Alvaro Fernandez needs another year on loan – Man United News And Transfer News

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Following a successful loan spell with Preston North End in the Championship, Alvaro Fernandez has returned to Manchester United and is expected to take part in the club’s pre-season tour.

Having secured his loan move early last summer, the Spanish youth international has yet to work with Erik ten Hag but The Athletic believe he is in contention to earn a spot in the Dutchman’s squad for the upcoming season.

The 20 year old’s first foray into senior football provided extensive experience as he made 42 appearances and picked up Preston’s young player of the year award.

The next step in Fernandez’ career is now to be determined this summer with a loan to a Premier League club also a possibility, according to The Athletic.

The ultimate decision will likely be determined based on pre-season performances but what is likely to be the better choice for the young star?

Remaining at United currently would see Fernandez slot into third choice at left back behind Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.

Fernandez’ goal would be to overcome Malacia for the role of Shaw’s back up, but considering Malacia was a Ten Hag signing and had a decent debut season, the possibility seems to be slim. This would suggest a season at United would lead to little playing time for the Spaniard.

On the other hand, an extra season on loan would provide Fernandez more experience and time to continue improving in order to provide a better challenge to Malacia for the squad role.

While it is suggested that a Premier League loan move is a possibility and would be ideal, the history of successful loan spells within in the Premier League for young players in recent years is extremely slim.

Therefore, if there is not a concrete guaranteed starting berth offered by a Premier League club, another loan to the Championship or top five European league would also be beneficial to Fernandez, the key aspect of any loan needs to be consistent playing time.

When deciding on a destination, United should also focus on finding a club that will deploy Fernandez as a left back rather than the wingback role he typically picked up at Preston.

Fernandez has shown both in the academy and at Preston his exceptional ability on the ball, but a more defensively focused loan move would assist in rounding out his game to replicate Shaw’s role under Ten Hag.

The 2024/25 season would then be the perfect time for Fernandez to return to the club to overtake Malacia.

The Dutch defender’s lack of creative output and progression on the ball has often led to a large decline in attacking threat down United’s left wing in comparison to when Shaw fills the role and is not something that United can afford while pushing for top honours.

Meanwhile, Fernandez offers a more like for like playing style to back up Shaw. In the top 5% of fullbacks for successful take-ons, United youth supporters will know just how dangerous the Spaniard is at driving down the left wing.

Though the Championship is not as strong as the Premier League, Fernandez’ xA for Preston was over twice that of Malacia’s last season and exemplifies his talent in the final third despite playing for a weak side.

But despite being an attacking fullback, Fernandez still scores high in most defensive areas, particularly aerial duels, where his six foot stature allowed him to win almost three times as many as Malacia and at a higher rate.

In conclusion, the best course of action regarding Alvaro Fernandez is to seek another loan for next season. With another season of senior football under his belt, it will be the perfect time to make a firm decision on whether to continue to with Tyrell Malacia or to replace him with the young Alvaro Fernandez.