Ex-scout hammers Manchester United for selling La Liga star

It has been a tough time for Manchester United since the exit of Sir Alex Ferguson, and those times have shown little sign of lifting of late. Adding insult to injury, a number of their former players have gone on to excel elsewhere, including in La Liga.

The most notable example is perhaps Scott McTominay at Napoli, who lifted the Scudetto and was named Serie Player of the Year. Antony has gone from strength to strength at Real Betis, and now left-back Alvaro Carreras has made a good start to his Real Madrid career.

‘United abandoned Carreras’

Carreras, who was originally in both the Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid academy systems before moving to Old Trafford as a teenager, arrived via Benfica. After a loan spell at Preston, he would be loaned to Benfica and then sold for €14.3m. Former Manchester United scout Piotr Sadowski has criticised his former club for allowing him to leave on the cheap.

“Alvaro Carreras arrived at Manchester United around the age of 16, in 2020. He’s a very hard-working and ambitious young man, and he learned the language quickly. I know this because I met him in person,” he told Przeglad Sportowy, as quoted by Marca.

“Initially, his career was going well. He was loaned to Preston, where he received good reviews, and then United abandoned him, selling him to Benfica for a reduced fee.”

‘United lack courage with young players’

Carreras has become an automatic starter for Xabi Alonso after arriving from Benfica for €50m, just a year after his move to Portugal was made permanent. Sadowski believed it was a problem with the general mentality at Manchester United when it comes to young players.

“He’s a world-class player. There’s a very good chance he’ll become the best, or one of the best, left-backs in the world. He recently scored a fantastic goal against Valencia in La Liga. It was a tremendous mistake for United to let him go. Something’s missing here, and I think that’s United’s lack of courage to invest in young players.”

So far this season Carreras has been crucial for Alonso, operating as an attacking full-back and at times a third central defender. The 22-year-old has started in all 15 appearances, scoring once, and missing only Real Madrid’s away trip to Kairat Almaty.