Ruben Amorim swells chances of Man Utd signing €20m star as new coach converges with scouts

Ruben Amorim would be likely to give the green light to Manchester United using their buyback clause for Benfica full-back Alvaro Carreras, according to reports.

Although Amorim has been appointed as Man Utd’s new head coach, rather than manager – which means he won’t have as much control over recruitment as his predecessors – the Portuguese tactician could aid their ongoing pursuit of former academy product Carreras.

Man Utd sold Carreras to Benfica back in May after a loan spell that began in January, but they inserted a €20m (£16.8m/$21.8m) buyback clause into the deal – which could come in handy considering his release clause for other clubs is worth €50m (£42.1m/$54.4m).

A recent update from Give Me Sport has confirmed that Man Utd are still monitoring Carreras in case they decide to bring him back to Old Trafford, with Amorim’s appointment only likely to increase their chances of making a move.

Indeed, since Carreras joined Benfica in January, Amorim has been aware of his progress while coaching Sporting. Thus, it is not only Man Utd’s scouts who have been keeping tabs on Carreras, but also their incoming head coach.

Amorim favours a back-three formation which will place a greater emphasis on wing-backs, but on the left-hand side he may have doubts about the durability of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia after their injury issues in recent years.

And while directors like Dan Ashworth have a greater say on transfers for Man Utd in their new sporting structure, the new head coach’s feedback on how Carreras could fit into his setup is expected to provide further justification behind a potential recall, for a player who was never able to make it off the bench for his senior debut back in his first Man Utd spell.

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Carreras yet to play against Amorim

Benfica and Sporting are yet to face off this season, but they did so three times in the second half of last season (once in the league and twice in the cup) after Carreras arrived in Portugal.

Interestingly, Carreras remained an unused substitute for Benfica on all of those occasions. Hence, he has never actually played against Amorim’s side, and won’t before the Sporting boss officially joins Man Utd later this month.

Yet his 29 appearances for Benfica so far against other sides have caught the eye in Portugal and Amorim is obviously not oblivious.

And the situation is under Man Utd’s control thanks to their success in securing a buyback clause for the 21-year-old, who they also arranged loan spells for at Preston North End and Granada in the past.

Carreras has also been linked with some other clubs recently, including Real Madrid – whose academy he left to join Man Utd in the first place back in 2020 – as well as Barcelona and even Liverpool, but as stated, any of those would be quoted a higher price than what Man Utd are able to get him back for.

As things stand, Carreras is under contract with Benfica until 2029.

Who will first Amorim signing be?

Benfica have no power to reject a €20m offer by Man Utd, which means that should the Red Devils put that money on the table in January, Carreras could become the first signing since Amorim took charge.

However, there have naturally been plenty of other Man Utd transfer rumours recently about other players who could be on Ashworth’s radar.

For example, TEAMtalk has learned that Amorim would be in favour of three Sporting players following him to Old Trafford: namely Goncalo Inacio, Marcus Edwards and Pedro Goncalves.

There have also been links with another Sporting defender, while the Lisbon outfit’s prolific striker Viktor Gyokeres has commented on his own chances of following in Amorim’s footsteps.

It ought to be recalled too that Carreras is not the only left-back Man Utd have been linked with. Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies is one ambitious option, but he may be more likely to sign for Real Madrid in 2025 and a more realistic target for Man Utd could be Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell, with the reasons for their preference emerging.

How would Carreras fit in under Amorim?

As stated, Amorim is likely to emulate the 3-4-3 system he has used with Sporting once he inherits the Man Utd squad.

Left-back is one of the main areas that might need an upgrade to suit his system, with usual first-choice Shaw still yet to feature this season. Malacia hasn’t played since the season before last.

First and foremost, Carreras would be a more natural fit at left-back than anyone who has been having to deputise there recently. He is left-footed for starters and 97.5% of his career appearances have come either as a left-back or left-wing-back.

While it must be stressed that Benfica use a four-at-the-back formation under Bruno Lage, Carreras’ previous experience when he was still being guided by Man Utd could have equipped him with the understanding he needs to play in a setup like Amorim’s.

Indeed, when he was playing for Preston in the 2022-23 season, Ryan Lowe’s side regularly deployed Carreras as a wing-back ahead of a back three. In fact, 27 of his 42 appearances for Preston were as a wing-back.

He also occasionally played in a similar role for Granada, so should be able to get up to speed with how Amorim wants his wide defenders to play – even if his record of one goal and nine appearances from 85 appearances in his senior career wouldn’t suggest he has been the most attacking full-back yet.