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Manchester United loanee Alvaro Fernandez Carreras got a rare chance to show off his abilities for Benfica on Sunday night as they beat Moreirense 3-0 in Lisbon.
It was the Spaniard’s first appearance for the Eagles since a 12 minute bench cameo on the 10th of March against Estoril.
There have been mixed rumours about the 21 year old’s future due to his lack of playing time for the Portuguese giants.
It was thought that Carreras would be returning to Old Trafford due to a lack of involvement at the end of the season but there have also been more recent reports that Benfica plan to sign him as a backup left back option.
Benfica were dominant in the match and had 19 shots to the visitor’s eight. Carreras had little defending to do as the opposition failed to register a single shot on target.
The Spanish Under-21’s biggest involvement came in the 43rd minute of play when he received the ball out wide and he cut inside to unleash a ferocious strike with his right foot that was parried away by the keeper.
He also registered one shot that was blocked, as he took the opportunity to rush forward against weaker opposition.
Carreras was awarded a score of 7.1 on Sofascore and will be pleased with his night’s efforts.
The marauding left back was heavily involved with 59 touches and a passing accuracy of 91%, making 30 out of his 33 passes.
He also made three crosses from the left with one finding its intended target.
From a defensive perspective, he made three clearances and successfully completed three tackles for his team.
Carreras attempted 10 ground duels, winning four and won one of his three aerial contests.
All in all, it was an impressive display from a player who has been starved of game time as of late.
As Benfica still chase the league title and are in the quarter finals of the Europa League, the young fullback will be aiming to be more heavily involved as the season enters the final stretch.
Their next assignment is the small matter of a trip to Marseille in the quarter finals of the Europa League this coming Thursday.
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