Man United 'plot' sensational return transfer as familiar Luke Shaw alternative identified

Manchester United could welcome a familiar face back to Old Trafford - according to reports - with Erik ten Hag eager to bolster his backline. Alvaro Fernandez has been linked with a return to the Premier League following his impressive performances for Benfica in the Portugal.

The 21-year-old full-back, who sees his contract expire in June 2029, has featured seven times for the Eagles in the Primeira Liga, keeping three clean sheets. Playing a vital role in Roger Schmidt's side, Fernandez has helped Benfica climb to third in the early-season standings.

He's also been key to the Eagles' unbeaten start in the new-look Champions League, securing wins over Red Star and Atletico Madrid. The Spain Under-21 international's displays haven't slipped underneath the radar, either, with United reportedly among a few clubs keeping tabs on his progress since leaving Old Trafford.

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In fact, according to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, his old club United are weighing up whether to activate the buy-back clause that was inserted into his contract. United sent the left-back on loan to Benfica in January earlier this year, and that deal included an option to buy worth £5million.

The Eagles decided to sign Fernandez on a permanent basis this summer, but now Dan Ashworth could bring him back to Old Trafford. O Jogo reckon Real Madrid and Barcelona are 'closely monitoring' the Spaniard.

Senior left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia have struggled to stay fit for quite some time, forcing Ten Hag to deploy either Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui out of position at left-back. When quizzed on that situation, the under-pressure United manager said: "I think they can both play there, but for the patterns I prefer in this moment Diogo, but both of course are right-backs.

"And that is another area where we have personnel issues and, already, for a long time we have personnel issues there. So definitely we will improve as a team if we get a consistent left-footed full-back.

"So we are waiting for Luke Shaw, we are waiting for Tyrell Malacia to return to the squad and of course that will definitely help consistent performance levels."

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