Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag began his rebuild of the club by doing the majority of his transfer business in his home country, luring Lisandro Martinez, Antony and Tyrell Malacia from Ajax and Feyenoord respectively, to mixed success it must be said.
Martinez has been the standout, slotting into the heart of the defence with ease on his way to being dubbed the club's "player of the season" by MEN's Samuel Luckhurst. Therefore, it is no coincidence that United’s latest poor form is due to not having the Argentine available.
Antony has shone in spells, scoring ten goals so far this term but his inconsistency has let him down, spellbinding one match while drifting towards anonymity in the next game, and hopefully, he can improve on this next season.
Malacia, however, has started just 13 Premier League matches for Ten Hag this term, keeping only six clean sheets in those games while winning 50% of his total duels and with Luke Shaw being favoured at left-back throughout the campaign, Malacia could face an interesting summer with regard to his future chances at Old Trafford.
His place may also be under threat due to the emergence of youngster Alvaro Fernandez from the youth academy, who is currently shining out on loan at Preston North End.
Who is Alvaro Fernandez?
The 20-year-old arrived in Manchester from Real Madrid back in 2020, joining alongside Marc Jurado, who left Barcelona for United.
Yet to make a debut for the first team, the Spaniard has been excelling through the academy, especially with the U23 squad, where Nick Cox praised him for being a “standout performer” last year.
The youngster has certainly displayed his attacking qualities during his brief spell in the academy, scoring seven goals and registering 18 assists across 62 matches. Cox even lauded the defender as being an “excellent role model” suggesting that his maturity was one of his key strengths.
He was granted a loan move to Preston for 2022/23, and he hasn’t disappointed. Indeed, Fernandez has continued to display his attacking qualities in the Championship, recording four assists while also contributing 0.9 key passes per game and creating six big chances during his spell at the club.
While clearly excellent going forward, Fernandez has proved to be no slouch defensively either, winning 4.8 duels per game and also averaging 1.1 clearances, 1.6 tackles and 1.1 interceptions each match.
The 20-year-old's ability to be able to provide an attacking outlet at one end of the field but also perform his defensive duties at the other end suggests he could have a fantastic career.
Malacia will need to be on high alert during pre-season, as Fernandez could challenge him ahead of what could be the most important season in his career to date.