Álvaro Carreras left Manchester United in 2024 when the club sold him to Benfica for £5 million. He flourished in Lisbon and that progress prompted Real Madrid to pay €50 million (£43.6 million) to bring him to the Spanish capital. United made a profit from the sequence of moves—approximately £8.6 million—but the trajectory raises questions about why he departed Old Trafford in the first place.

Carreras had already built a profile at United. He won the Reserve Team Player of the Year award for the 2021–22 season, trained regularly with the senior squad and was an unused substitute in United’s clash with Chelsea in April 2022. Despite that, BBC Sport’s Simon Stone reported that the view inside the club was mixed when it came to his readiness for the Premier League.

“My understanding is Erik ten Hag felt Carreras was not quick enough for the Premier League and struggled against quick players—and that he was more suited to a back three defensive formation,” wrote Stone back in July. “There was no queue of Premier League clubs looking at him, which is how he ended up on loan, first at Granada and then Benfica.”

United retained a route back when they inserted a £17 million buy-back clause in his Benfica contract, but they chose not to exercise that option. Instead the club spent around £30 million to sign Patrick Dorgu from Lecce last January. Stone asked the obvious follow-up: “My question is why, given United spent the latter half of the 2023–24 season without a recognised left back, they didn’t bring him back to Old Trafford last summer, when Ten Hag concluded Harry Amass was not strong enough,” he wrote. “That would have seemed sensible from a business perspective, knowing Carreras’ value had risen and with a half-decent season behind him, they would get a higher fee if they opted to sell at the end of the season.”

Tactical preferences played a part. Ruben Amorim favours a back three with attacking wing-backs and Carreras’ profile would have suited that approach. Carreras is now playing under Xabi Alonso in Madrid. Alonso, who developed as a manager at Bayer Leverkusen, has moved away from a consistent back three to accommodate a front three featuring Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Rodrygo and a midfield that includes Jude Bellingham and Aurélien Tchouaméni once injuries are resolved.

Benfica have confirmed the appointment of José Mourinho as their new manager, a move that arrives just over a week before the Portuguese side travel to face his former employers Chelsea in the Champions League.

On his return to the Lisbon team Mourinho said: “I have so many emotions, but I think experience helps me control them,” and added, “I want to thank you for the trust, the honour I feel at this moment.

“It’s been 25 years, but I’m not here to celebrate my career. It’s been 25 years in which I’ve had the opportunity to work for the biggest clubs in the world. And to conclude this speech, as a representative of this club, I’d like to say that none of the other giant clubs I’ve had the opportunity to coach have made me feel more honoured, responsible, or motivated than being the coach of Benfica.”

Mourinho will oversee a small number of domestic fixtures before making the trip to Stamford Bridge to meet Chelsea on Sept. 30. The fixture arrives early in his stint and will be watched closely because of his history with the Blues.

Having managed 321 games over two spells with the Blues and brought three Premier League titles to the club, Mourinho is widely hailed as perhaps the greatest manager in Chelsea history. That legacy has not been overlooked by the current Chelsea boss.

Asked if he is excited by the idea of facing Mourinho in less than two weeks, Maresca responded: “Absolutely. Absolutely, yes.

“He’s a legend for the club, he’s a legend in general for the trophies and achievements.”

The appointment sets up a high-profile reunion in the Champions League, with Mourinho and his new squad arriving at Stamford Bridge after a short domestic run of fixtures. The immediate focus for Benfica will be preparation for that trip and the start of Mourinho’s latest spell in charge.

José Mourinho has emerged as the frontrunner to take charge at Benfica after a turbulent week at the club. Bruno Lage was dismissed following Benfica’s Champions League defeat to Qarabag, a 3–2 home loss in which the club surrendered a two-goal lead. The result intensified pressure on the club hierarchy and prompted swift change.

Costa’s stock has only been dented further by Tuesday’s calamitous Champions League defeat to Qarabag, which saw the Portuguese giants conspire to lose 3–2 at home after taking a two-goal lead. Benfica manager Bruno Lage was promptly sacked.

“I believe this is the time for a change, precisely to avoid compromising the season,” Costa declared after Lage’s dismissal. “And, consequently, the coach who comes in must be a winning coach. A coach representing a club of this size must be one with the ability to bring this team to the levels we demand and give us the titles we desire.”

Noronha Lopes’s proposed vice president, Nuno Gomes, recently put forward Amorim as a potential candidate to lead Benfica. The former Sporting CP manager has a strong connection with the other Lisbon giant after spending nine years on their books as a player and could soon be available given Manchester United’s wretched start to the new season.

Despite those links to Ruben Amorim, the narrative has swung towards Mourinho. Fabrizio Romano was among the first of many outlets to claim that the self-anointed ‘Special One’ is in “advanced talks” with Benfica over a swift return to management. The report follows Mourinho’s recent dismissal by Fenerbahçe less than three weeks ago, a parting that came after a Champions League qualifier defeat to Benfica.

There is an added layer of symmetry to the story. Mourinho’s managerial journey began at the Estádio da Luz almost exactly 25 years ago. The formerly progressive tactician lasted less than three months, resigning after being refused a new contract. From there, Mourinho began again at União de Leiria before going on to establish his reputation at Porto, Inter, Real Madrid and Manchester United.