Man Utd youngster Alvaro Fernandez admits he found it 'hard' to adapt to England after leaving Real Madrid

Manchester United youngster Alvaro Fernandez has recently opened up on his time in England and a loan spell at Championship side Preston North End.

The Spanish youth international joined the Red Devils back in 2020 after turning down a contract offer at Real Madrid.

He went straight into the under-23 setup at United and won the reserve team player of the year last season before being sent out on loan to Preston.

He moved to England in the middle of a pandemic and he couldn't speak the language so to say it was difficult for him to adapt would be an understatement.

In a recent interview with Man Utd, the left-back spoke about living in a new country and how his loan spell is going.

“At the beginning, when I came here to England, I was in digs with an English family. It was very good from them, that they helped me start to speak English. You always have to learn something new, but now I can speak it better," he said.

“The first year I could only go back 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.”

He's hoping Ten Hag gives him a chance

His loan spell at Preston has given him much-needed game time and the development will only improve the chance of manager Erik ten Hag giving him a first-team opportunity.

Fernandez is competing with both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia for a place in the team but could be taken on this summer's pre-season tour where he can show what he is capable of.

Speaking about his loan spell at Preston, he said: “The season’s gone quick. We’re into the last months now, with eight games left, but it’s been very good. I’m happy and taking lots of experience from it,”

“I’m getting minutes and that’s what I wanted when I came here, so it’s perfect.”