Alvaro Carreras was a revelation at Real Madrid. After pocketing Lamine Jamal in El Clasico, the left-back scored his first Madrid goal against Valencia on Saturday night. Why did Manchester United let him leave Old Trafford?
As he returns to the north-west of England for Real Madrid’s Champions League game against Liverpool on Tuesday night, Carreras, rather than Trent Alexander-Arnold, looks set to be the club’s choice of new signings under Xabi Alonso.
Having flourished at Benfica, the 22-year-old is already a bargain – even at the £43m price tag Madrid paid for him. It all seems a little strange when United were messing around with Sergio Regillon and Sofian Amrabat at left-back not too long ago.
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Alvaro Carreras scored his first Real Madrid goal with a screamer against Valencia
Instead, Carreras’ only first team in England came on loan at Preston North End, where there is similar disbelief. “I can’t believe United didn’t bring him back after they had a buyout obligation from Benfica,” said Paul Gallagher. Ski Sports.
Gallagher was first-team coach at Preston throughout the 2022/23 Championship season, for which Carreras was named the club’s Young Player of the Year, having been United’s reserve player of the year the previous season. He developed in Deepdale.
Alvaro Carreras in action for Preston North End v West Brom 2022
“You could immediately see the real quality in his game,” Gallagher recalled. “We played him as a left-back, but you could see he was very comfortable on the ball. With his dribbling skills and his passing skills, he was getting people out of their places at left-back.”
He adds: “Technically, he’s very good. But he’s also got an incredible mentality to want to learn. First of all, he’s a really good kid with a nice personality, very well-respected. That stood out because he had to learn quickly at Preston.”
“In the championship it’s difficult. You have to be tough, you have to win duels. That’s something he showed because when it was difficult, to be fair to him, like all quality, he would roll up his sleeves and have a good move.”
Preston boss Ryan Lowe has had to manage his minutes, benching him for both games against Millwall, for example, allowing him to acclimatise. “Sometimes you have to do that with young players, take them and take them away. That was his first loan as well,” explains Gallagher.
“That might have been his moment when the penny dropped but he was never afraid to get stuck in. He took a few knocks that season but he just got on with it and the Preston fans loved him for it. He went into games and came out with the ball.”
Carreras is now using that approach in the Champions League. He recently won all 11 of his matches against Juventus in a 1-0 win at the Bernabeu, becoming the first defender to win as many matches without conceding a single in the competition in over a decade.
Gallagher wanted to take Carreras on loan to Stoke next season, but the player had planned to move to La Liga with Granada before being allowed to leave United permanently for Benfica in January last year. Madrid came in the summer.
It was a chance for Carreras to return to the Spanish giants, having been part of Madrid’s academy before signing a four-year deal with United aged 17. Gallagher was among the first to text his former player to congratulate him on his move.
“One thing with Alvaro and his personality, he will really believe in his abilities. He will probably think long ago that he is good enough to play for Manchester United and he was brave enough to prove it. Now he has his dream to move to Real Madrid.
“It’s no surprise to me that he’s doing so well now. What I always say about the best young players is that you only have to tell them once and that was true for Alvaro. When you stick with a young player for the first time, then you just know they’re going to go to the top.
“His attitude was fantastic. He wanted to learn, do extras after training and develop. He wants to play at the highest level and soon he will play for the Spanish national team, go to world championships and stuff, because he is that good.”
Indeed, he has already proven to be an asset for Madrid in both defense and attack this season. His impressive display when given the daunting task of marking Jamal against Barcelona removed any lingering doubts about his defensive acumen.
“Alvaro would have enjoyed it too,” says Gallagher. “He would have gone into that game thinking about coming out the other side believing he was the best full-back in the world. Next time out against Valencia, he won a penalty and scored a stunning goal.
“He has a good quality to create in the final third. He is a stylish full-back but he also has the ability to work so hard to come back and help the team. Preston fans liked that about him, but all the coaches and fans feel that way.
“He plays with that personality, energy and belief in himself. It’s not overconfidence, it’s just belief in his own abilities. That’s why he’s at one of the best clubs in the world.” A triumph for the extraordinary Alvaro Carreras, somehow overlooked at Manchester United.