Alvaro Fernandez was convinced to leave Real Madrid for Manchester United as they offered him the chance to play senior football out on loan.
Fernandez left Madrid for Manchester in 2020, initially working his way through the youth ranks before being included on the first-team substitutes bench for two Premier League games in 2022. A loan move was touted at the start of last summer, with the 19-year-old looking to bridge the gap between academy and senior football, with a number of Championship clubs reportedly eyeing a move.
The left-back signed on loan for Preston North End in July, and has been a regular feature at Deepdale with 30 appearances including 27 in the fiercely competitive Championship. And speaking to Spanish media, the teenager admitted that the opportunity to explore loan options and regular football convinced him to leave Madrid.
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"You come to a new country, to a new team. It's time to adapt. It's a bit crazy," Fernandez told AS. "You think about playing for a year in the Under-18s, calm, adapting, the family away because it was a pandemic and I couldn't go home. The second to see if I can already be in the under-23s and get minutes.
"But the reality is that it worked out very well. The relationship with the coach was fantastic and the truth is great. I was surprised at how quickly I adapted.
"What I wanted was to grow in football and United came up with an incredible proposal for the future. Thank God I'm now on loan for a second, with a United first-team record. Luckily it wasn't bad for me.
"Start now with the subsidiary soon. I wanted to play with adults and I'm already playing in the English second-tier at 19 years old."
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