A number of Manchester United youngsters who came to prominence in the regime of Louis van Gaal have found it difficult to get into the sunshine under Jose Mourinho. Andreas Pereira is an example who seemed like the next big thing from the United youth academy before being farmed out on loan to Granada in the summer. The Spanish outfit have been able to benefit immensely from the presence of the 20-year-old, who has been a first-team regular.
Yet, Pereira came to prominence only this weekend after scoring in the 2-1 win over Sevilla. This was his first goal for the Spanish club and it has brought the attention of the media onto his young shoulders. Pereira has been able to do something which many of the United players have struggled – score a goal. It may be only his first goal of the season, but it is a start nonetheless. It has immediately sparked suggestions that Manchester United need to look at options like Pereira in order to overcome their crisis.
When asked about the possibility of returning to United in January and helping the team in an offensive manner, the 20-year-old claimed that he would be glad to do so. According to Sky Sports, he said:
“We [Pereira and Mourinho] are always in contact and we talk after my games. If Manchester United needs me, I am always ready.
“The experience here in Spain has been very good, even though the club has struggled a bit. But I think we have been improving game by game and the last two games it showed that we are on the right track.”
An attacking midfielder, Andreas Pereira has the ability to play in a number of positions across the midfield. He has the passing vision required to find players when there is little space to operate. In many ways, he could be the replacement for Michael Carrick but with the goal scoring touch. Mourinho is unlikely to turn towards the youngster, as he rarely places faith in the raw talent even when things are not going well.
In his 13 appearances for Granada, Andreas Pereira has managed one goal and one assist. His passing accuracy of 73.9% is unlikely to make for a good reading at a time when Manchester United are struggling to break down the opposition with a poor passing of their own.
A 1-1 draw with Everton during the weekend saw the team fall even further behind the top four. Manchester United have managed only one win in the last seven Premier League games and it is now starting to threaten their basic objective of finishing in the top four. José Mourinho said at the time of taking over from Van Gaal that United were going to aim for the title in his first season.
The latest disappointment means that United are now a whopping 13 points behind leaders Chelsea with Mourinho increasingly looking like losing the plot with his strange press conferences and falling out with the officials.
