Manchester United's plan for Real Madrid youngster is beginning to work

When Alvaro Fernandez signed for Manchester United, he arrived in a country hopelessly wrestling with the pandemic. The city of Manchester was just surviving and there were strict laws forbidding large social gatherings and free movement.

Fernandez, who was born in north-western Spain, was just 17 years old and he couldn't speak English. It was a challenging time for the youngster, but he persevered in his new surroundings and studied hard during his intensive English lessons. Although most teenagers would struggle, Fernandez was determined to make his 'dream of playing in the Premier League' work.

He was also given access to documentaries on the club and Manchester to help him integrate. "At the beginning, when I came here to England, I was in digs with an English family. It was very good from them," the defender recently told club media.

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"The first year I could only go back [to Spain] at Christmas and summer, so it was hard to come to a new place and a new culture, with a new football team as well. It was hard, but the people have always been good to me in England."

Fernandez played in Deportivo La Coruna's academy before joining Real Madrid. He spent three years with the Spanish giants, but he swapped the Bernabeu for Old Trafford in the summer of 2020 after failing to agree an extension on his deal.

United's scouts liked what they had seen and he was offered a four-year contract, with the option of another year's extension. Fernandez accepted the challenge in the midst of the pandemic and he's not looked back since.

After his arrival in Manchester, Fernandez made a handful of appearances for the Under-18s at the start of the 2020/21 season, but he quickly