Alvaro Carreras in action for Benfica in the Champions League
Alvaro Carreras in action for Benfica in the Champions League
Former Manchester United defender Alvaro Carreras has risked the wrath of his previous supporters after sending his well wishes to Angel Di Maria following his birthday on Friday.
Carreras and Di Maria are teammates at Benfica these days but the former cuts an unpopular figure to this day at Old Trafford. The winger spent just one year with United making 32 appearances, scoring four goals and grabbing 11 assists in the process.
However, his performances were widely criticised by supporters with the forward falling out with Louis van Gaal before joining PSG in 2015. Since then, he has been outspoken about his dislike for the club and his time there.
In an interview with TyC Sports, he said he 'didn't give a f***' about wearing the iconic No.7 shirt for United despite the club explaining its importance. He also 'thanked God' in an interview with Eurosport that he was able to leave United and join PSG.
When he returned in the Champions League with the Parisians, his demise was wildly cheered by home supporters when he was clattered into the safety barrier by Ashley Young. Then, in 2022, his wife Jorgelina Cardoso described the food in Manchester as 'disgusting' in one final dig at the city they used to call home.
Unsurprisingly there is unlikely to have been widespread mirroring from United fans of Carreras' well wishes to Di Maria as he posted a picture of the pair on Instagram with the caption: "Happy birthday friend." The Reds hold a buy back clause for Carreras as the 21-year-old impresses for the Portuguese giants.
MEN Sport understands that United did not have the finances in January to activate that clause. Since those links, the Reds splashed the cash on Lecce wing-back Patrick Dorgu who could make his Premier League debut on Sunday against Tottenham Hotspur.