Ex-Manchester United youngster, Alvaro Carreras, has played down speculation linking him with a return to Old Trafford after impressing with Portuguese side Benfica.
The 21-year-old left-back signed for United in 2020, joining the club from Spanish giants Real Madrid, but would spend the majority of his career in the famed Old Trafford youth set-up.
He enjoyed three loan spells with Preston, Granada and Benfica before making his move to the Estádio da Luz a permanent one last summer.
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Despite being highly rated, Carreras failed to make a first-team appearance for the Reds, with Portuguese outfit Benfica spending a reported €6million to sign the full back in the summer of 2024.
The deal included a further €3million in add-ons and - as reported by The Manchester Evening News in October - United have until the 2026 summer transfer window to activate a buy-back option on the Spaniard.
Carreras, who was known as Alvaro Fernandez before adopting his maternal surname, has been Benfica's most used player this season, making 38 appearances in all competitions, 36 of those being starts.
His fine form in Portugal resulted in speculation linking him with a return to Old Trafford, with the Reds short of options on the left-hand side of defence.
However, the arrival of Patrick Dorgu in the January transfer window has, seemingly, put any potential deal on the backburner. Carreras has played down talk of a return to United, insisting he's happy at Benfica and focused ahead of their Champions League clash with Barcelona.
"The truth is that I'm overlooking it a bit," he told A Bola when asked about transfer speculation.
"I'm concentrating on what I have to do, because every three days I have a game.
"There's always interest from teams and everyone wants to grow, but I'm doing very well here [at Benfica].
"Manchester United have an option to buy that has been signed, but I'm very happy here."
Carreras has also been linked with a move back to Real Madrid, but played down transfer speculation earlier this year, as well. "In truth, we never know, but I have a long-term contract here at Benfica, I'm happy," the player said when addressing his future at that particular juncture.
"They gave me the opportunity to grow and I owe them everything."
