Coach Erik ten Hag is held responsible for transfer errors that resulted in a massive financial loss for Man Utd.
In 2022, Man Utd appointed Dutch coach Erik ten Hag as the new manager, replacing Ralf Rangnick. Despite his great success at Ajax, Ten Hag faced many challenges at Old Trafford, yet still managed to win the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
By October 2024, following a poor start in the Premier League, the Dutch strategist was dismissed and Ruben Amorim took over.
During Ten Hag's tenure, the "Red Devils" invested heavily to sign players like Antony, Rasmus Hojlund, Casemiro, and Mason Mount. Conversely, players such as David de Gea, Scott McTominay, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Andreas Pereira all left the club.
However, one deal caused the Old Trafford club to lose millions of Euros, that being the full-back Alvaro Carreras.
In January 2024, Man Utd loaned Carreras to Benfica with a purchase option worth 6 million Euros plus up to 3 million Euros in add-ons.
A year later, after impressive performances at Benfica, Carreras attracted interest from La Liga giant Real Madrid. In the recent summer transfer window, Benfica sold the Spanish defender to Los Blancos for a reported fee of 50 million Euros. According to TEAMtalk, Real Madrid currently values the 22-year-old player at around 80 million Euros.
Certainly, things would have been very different if Ten Hag had given Carreras more chances to prove himself.
Speaking about Carreras, Madrid coach Xabi Alonso commented: “His personality and competitive spirit really surprised me. He makes very few mistakes, stays highly focused, possesses excellent mental qualities along with comprehensive tactical and technical skills. His immediate impact was impressive; that's great news for the team.”
So far, in the 2025/26 season, Carreras has appeared in seven matches across all competitions for Los Blancos, though he has yet to score or assist. The 2003-born rising star is considered an indispensable figure on the left flank, alongside newcomer Dean Huijsen, who plays centrally in defense.