While the youngster’s latest loan spell at Manchester United may have started slowly, his most recent outing saw him exceed the impact of a man who has probably been the best in his position anywhere across Europe in 2023/24. Alejandro Grimaldo, a revelation during Bayer Leverkusen’s historic Bundesliga title triumph under Xabi Alonso, rose through the ranks in Barcelona’s fabled La Masia academy. It was at Benfica where Grimaldo really made his name, however. Nearly ten years on, Alvaro Fernandez – or Alvaro Carreras as they tend to call him in Portugal – is following in Grimaldo’s footsteps….