Manchester United 'reach agreement' to sign Real Madrid defender Alvaro Fernandez on four-year deal

Manchester United are set to sign Real Madrid wonderkid Alvaro Fernandez Carreras, according to reports in Spain.

The left-back has spent the last three seasons in the La Liga giant's youth teams after joining from Deportivo La Coruna, with Real Madrid needing to fight off Barcelona for Alvaro's signature in 2017.

The 19-year-old's contract expired on June 30 but the defender was offered a new contract to stay in Spain.

But according to Spanish news outlet AS, Alvaro has rejected the offer from Real Madrid and is set to sign a four-year deal at Old Trafford from this summer.

The report says that Alvaro is satisfied with the sporting project at Manchester United and is excited by the prospect of playing Premier League football.

It is expected that the left-back will begin by playing his football in the Manchester United youth teams but is capable of making the step up to the first-team if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer experiences a shortage in defence.

The Real Madrid website describes Alvaro as a defender who aspires to be like his idol - current Los Blancos left-back Marcelo.

The 19-year-old is said to be intelligent on the ball and have strong technical skills, as well as being difficult to beat in a one-on-one situation.

The signing of Alvaro would provide competition for the likes of Luke Shaw and United academy graduate Brandon Williams.

The pair are currently set to miss Thursday night's Premier League clash with Crystal Palace due to injury.

Shaw has picked up a swollen ankle while Williams has a facial injury and the pair have not returned to training after the 2-2 draw with Southampton on Monday night, according to Solksjaer.

Portuguese full-back Diogo Dalot could be used has a makeshift option at left-back for the Red Devils as they look to snatch a place in next season's Champions League at the expense of Chelsea or Leicester City.