Ruben Amorim already knows first Man United transfer after £16m Dan Ashworth masterclass

New Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim's first transfer at Old Trafford could see former United defender Alvaro Fernandez return to the club.

The Spanish left-back moved to Benfica on loan last January before switching permanently for just £5million in the summer. Fernandez left Old Trafford without making a single first-team appearance after signing from Real Madrid in 2020.

Since moving to Benfica, Fernandez has caught the eye in their domestic and Champions League matches. The 21-year-old hasn't missed a single game for Bruno Lage's men and played particularly well against Atletico Madrid and Julian Alvarez.

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With Amorim set to officially take charge of United on Monday, plenty has already been made of his plans in the transfer window. As has been well documented, the 39-year-old thrives in a 3-4-2-1 system, and heavy debate has been on the problems at full-back.

Now, former Benfica defender Alvaro Magalhaes has claimed that Fernandez could be the ideal choice for Amorim at United after being aware of his performances in Portugal. "I only fear that Ruben Amorim will take him to Manchester United," he told A Bola.

"It seems to me that he has the quality to be one of the first options, and looking at the squad, I believe that with the new coaching staff he could be a possibility again, especially because the new coach knows him very well from what he saw of him at Benfica."

United's hopes of luring Fernandez back to England is in their hands. When his exit was confirmed in the summer, they inserted a buy-back option into the deal. It's believed that would be around £16m.

Fernandez's current contract at Benfica includes a hefty £42m release clause, so snapping him up for less than half that could be the perfect New Year present for Amorim.

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