Alvaro Carreras feels like the perfect left back for Xabi Alonso’s new Real Madrid and that can be concerning when you remember that Ruben Amorim’s profile of a left back is the same yet Manchester United sent him out on loan several times and still refused to get him back despite the £16 million buyback clause United had on him.
Xabi Alonso is known for playing three at the back and having wingbacks running the full length of the pitch, overload the midfield where necessary, and add to the attacking power of the squad. So, traditional LBs may not seem suited for this formation. Real Madrid’s main LB before Alonso’s arrival was Dani Cavarjal and he is not one to race through the left flank or invert into the midfield to cause overload and that could have worried Alonso, reason he got Alvaro Carreras.
Carreras is not new to Real Madrid as he joined them from the youth team at Deportivo de La Coruna in 2017. Then a teenager, Carreras spent three years with Madrid before Manchester United came knocking. Carreras joined Manchester United in September 2020 on a four-year contract. But Carreras never made his debut for United’s senior team despite being named on the bench for two matches in the Premier League.
While he couldn’t show his quality for the senior team, Carreras was a solid member of the United U23 and U18 teams. He was even named the U23 Player of the Year in 2022.
In July 2022, he went on loan to Preston North End. The following season, Carreras joined Granada on loan but was recalled by United in January 2024. The call up seemed like Carreras coming to feature for the team because at the time, United lacked an actual LB. Aaron Wan-Bissaka was the makeshift LB and sometimes Dalot was made to fill in both players are actual RBs.
It was surprising to see that Carreras did not play a single game for Manchester United after being called back from his loan on 14th January but was instead loaned out to Benfica on 17th January. Just three days after.
It could be that Erik ten Hag did not see the prospects in Carreras or the LB wasn’t the profile of player the Dutch manager wanted. While he was loaned to Benfica, a buy back clause of £16 million was added to the deal, hinting that the United hierarchy still believed that Carreras could make a return to England.
In less than two seasons, Carreras had become better so much better that Real Madrid became linked to the player. With Amorim in charge and needing a new wingback, it was clear that Carreras fit the profile and bulk of the footballing world and United fans who knew the player felt it was time for Manchester United to activate the buy back clause Carreras had in his contract.
Madrid’s desire to sign the player would have been enough motivation for United to activate the clause seeing that he was the exact fit and quality that Rube Amorim’s system needs. Carreras was a quality player and even though he was still very young, he already had experience playing in Portugal, Spain, the Championship, and even the Premier League with United’s U23.
But the United hierarchy and maybe Amorim decided to go for Patrick Dorgu. Even though it is too early to decide if Dorgu does not fit the Amorim’s LB profile, watching Carreras at Real Madrid just shows how perfect he would have been if United had activated the buy back clause.
During Real Madrid’s win over Mallorca on Sunday evening, Carreras had a 92% passing accuracy, completing 57 of the attempted 62 passses with an expected assists ratio of 0.12. In the final third, Carreras completed 34 passes and he had the most touches of any player on the field vs Mallorca.
Several times, the left back was found in midfield and even at the left edge of the opposition box. This is clearly the attack mindset that Amorim wants from his wingbacks which is something that Dorgu falls short of.
The last 90 minutes Dorgu played was against Fulham where both teams settled for a draw, Dorgu had a 73% passing accuracy and his expected assist ratio was 0.04. Amorim expects his wingbacksh to create chances because of the advanced rules they take up and 0.04 as expected assists in 90 minutes is a far cry from what Amorim would expect.
During the opening fixture for Manchester United vs Arsenal, Dorgu did not show any promise except when he struck the crossbar in the first half. His expected assist was way lower at 0.02.
You might be tempted to assume it is a team problem and not necessarily a personnel issue.
But against Burnley, Dorgu didn’t get any minutes and Dalot played in the LWB position for the full 90 minutes. To show the gap in quality, Dalot had an 81% pass accuracy and a 0.46 expected assists rating.
Should Manchester United have gone for Carreras for just £16 million instead of the £30 million invested in Dorgu?
