Manchester United youngster Alvaro Fernandez has expressed his gratitude towards the club for making him feel welcome following his arrival from Real Madrid in 2020.
The 19-year-old is yet to feature for the Reds' first-team, but has impressed for the U23s since joining United. The left-back made 23 appearances in Premier League 2 last term, registering three goals and four assists. Fernandez is spending this season on loan with Championship outfit Preston North End.
Since signing for Ryan Lowe's side, the defender has made 21 appearances in all competitions. He had attracted interest from Premier League and other Championship clubs in the summer, but Preston won the race for his signature - with their development plan for the youngster playing a key role in bringing him to Deepdale Stadium.
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Fernandez has been tipped for big things at Old Trafford, and the young full-back has opened up about the key differences between playing for United and Real Madrid.
"At Real Madrid I was just another player - at Manchester United they made me feel special," he told Relevo. "You arrive here and they already treat you like a footballer.
"At Real Madrid we were academy players. We trained in the gym, we had breakfast and ate at the facilities... And in Carrington you go to have breakfast and at the table next to you is De Gea and Fred."
He added: "At Real Madrid, to reach Castilla there are 800,000 players ahead. I was a first-year youth player. At United, two months later I was already in the subsidiary.
"Eric Garcia, Pique or Carvajal have had to leave to end up returning to Spain. It's always nice to go back to where you started, but for now I'm very good at Manchester United".
Fernandez did not take part in United's pre-season tour squad in the summer on the basis that he would train with the U21s before being allowed to leave on a temporary deal. He is expected to return to Old Trafford at the end of the season and compete for his place in Erik ten Hag's side.
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