Sergio Reguilon insist he holds no grudge towards Manchester United for terminating his loan prematurely in January, even though left-back has again become a problem position.
United signed Reguilon on summer transfer deadline on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur as emergency cover following an injury to Luke Shaw on top of Tyrell Malacia's existing absence.
The Spaniard made 12 appearances by the end of 2023 and the break clause inserted into the original agreement was activated by United. Shaw was nursing a minor problem after previously returning to fitness and Malacia didn't seem to be far behind. There wasn't an obvious long-term problem for United, who didn't need three left-backs on the wage bill if all were going to be fit.
Fast forward to mid-February, Shaw suffered a new more serious muscle injury that is set to sideline him for most of the rest of the season, while caution has been taken with Malacia after setbacks during rehab on his knee injury. Chances are, Reguilon would have had plenty of opportunity to keep playing for United had he not been sent back to Tottenham and subsequently joined Brentford.
"You can't control this," he reflected in an interview with The Times.
"I told the manager, 'Thanks for everything'. When I remember Manchester, it will be with a smile on my face. I hope they can win the FA Cup. I still support them. It was a difficult moment in my life [after falling out of favour at Spurs] and they gave me the love."
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Discussing going up to Manchester in the first place, he explained: "When one window closes, another door opens. Karma was good for me. I went to United. The people there are unbelievable. I don't know why but I still receive a lot of messages. I love them because from the first moment they gave me so much love. Maybe the way I play, always giving everything, and they love that."
Diogo Dalot had occasionally played on the left instead of Reguilon in the first half of the season. But the Portuguese is enjoying a strong individual campaign in his natural position on the right and, with no other cover on that side due to Aaron Wan-Bissaka's injury, he hasn’t been moved again.
Instead, left-back cover since Reguilon's exit and Shaw's new absence has fallen on a combination of Victor Lindelof and Sofyan Amrabat, neither of whom are natural full-backs.