Loan watch: Alvaro scores first senior goal
Manchester United loanee Alvaro Fernandez scored his first goal in senior football on Monday evening, during Benfica's 3-1 victory at Farense in the Primeira Liga.
The 21-year-old, who was making just his second top-flight start for the Portuguese giants after joining in January, slotted home after being found by Angel Di Maria, formerly of United, in space at the far post.
That goal, the Eagles' third of the match, after first half-efforts from Orkun Kokcu and Arthur Cabral, capped off a win which keeps city rivals Sporting honest at the top of the table.
However, Ruben Amorim's league leaders still enjoy a seven-point cushion over the holders, with just four rounds of fixtures left to play.
Álvaro Carreras a fazer o terceiro das 🦅#sporttvportugal #LIGAnaSPORTTV #ligaportugalbetclic #scfarense #slbenfica #betano pic.twitter.com/O8aaLMopSt
— sport tv (@sporttvportugal) April 22, 2024
The left-back stood out for Benfica, who rotated significantly after Thursday's Europa League exit at Marseille, registering 98 touches of the ball, two key passes and four tackles during the 90 minutes.
Fernandez was making his 12th appearance of his loan spell at the Estadio da Luz, having played 14 games for Spanish side Granada - who currently have United's Facundo Pellistri in their squad - in the first half of the campaign.
Last season, the Spaniard turned out on 42 occasions for Preston North End, becoming a valuable member of Ryan Lowe's squad as they finished 12th in the Championship.
He joined United from Real Madrid in September 2020 and was a regular in our youth teams for his first two years in Manchester, winning the Denzil Haroun Young Player of the Year award in 2022.