Abhranil Roy
Andreas Pereira has been attracting a lot of attention for a while now. The 20-year-old has been with the Red Devils since 2011, but has only made 11 first-team appearances for the club and just four of those have come in the Premier League since joining as a 15 year old from PSV Eindhoven’s youth academy.
Everyone from Ryan Giggs to Gary Neville has been impressed with his talent, and although he didn’t feature much under former manager Louis van Gaal, having made just two starts in 2015-16 and was excluded from all but one of the last 17 matchday squads of the Dutchman’s reign. Current Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho, however, has hinted that he will give Brazilian midfielder chances to make his mark in pre-season.
The playmaker, who has featured for the Brazilian u-18 and u-21 sides and even played in the FIFA u-21 world cup a couple of years back, is truly gifted. “Andreas has lots of talent. He has incredible vision and an incredible technique,” Mourinho told MUTV after he scored in the pre-season clash with Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium on 16th July. With Juan Mata set to leave and Wayne Rooney aging, Perreira can be perfectly moulded to fit in that no. 10 role.
He has many fans among those who have watched him play for the youth sides and is optimistic about his chances of the more game-time under the new Gaffer.
“We look forward to working with him and very happy to, because he is a great coach, one of the world’s best players,” Pereira told Globo Esporte.”We are prepared to work with him and have a great season.”
He is expected to participate for Brazil at the Rio Olympics this summer, and one can be certain that he will look to impress and grab the opportunity this time around. Several sources have however, reported that he, along with James Wilson and Adnan Januzaj, he could be loaned out in case opportunities aren’t available, which would not be a bad option either. Either way, he is a hot prospect, and we would do well if we gave him the chances he deserves and try to nurture his unquestionable talent.
