Due to celebrate his 26th birthday next January, attacking midfielder Andreas Pereira should be reaching the peak years of his profesional football career. Nevertheless, after being convinced to join Manchester United following a visit from Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011, the Belgian-born player with Brazilian roots has never quite made the grade.

Pereira showed positive early signs of success

Having impressed as an academy player, Pereira eventually made his senior debut during the 2014-15 campaign, although that came in a shocking 4-0 away defeat against MK Dons in the League cup second round. In March 2015 the promising young midfielder then made his Premier League bow against Tottenham Hotspur.

The 2015-16 season brought more opportunities, with 11 appearances and 1 goal in all competitions, as Pereira showed early signs of continuing to build upon his first team experience. Putting in quality displays of his ability and skills, Pereira certainly indicated he was one to watch for the future.

Amidst a lack of guarantees whether he would feature regularly, Manchester United loaned Pereira to Spanish side Granada. Able to express himself more freely in La Liga, Pereira shone and quickly became their star player, making 35 appearances and scoring 5 goals. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to save Granada from a disastrous 2016-17 campaign, which saw them relegated with Tony Adams as caretaker manager.

Despite how impressive Pereira had been, there was no place for him in the United team when he returned to England. This led to another hastily arranged loan spell back in Spain, joining Valencia for the entirety of the 2017-18 campaign. Pereira made 23 appearances in La Liga and scored just the one goal, albeit often playing in a deeper midfield role to which he wasn’t ideally suited.

Return to the Red Devils and second chance

Following the valuable experience gained in Spain, both good and bad, Pereira returned to Old Trafford with optimism that he could battle for more first team opportunities. Those duly came with Pereira making 22 appearances in all competitions, during a turbulent 2018-19 campaign which saw Jose Mourinho sacked by December, before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took the wheel.

In truth and like many other players during the previous campaign, Pereira had blown hot and cold, unable to reach the desired level of consistency. However, there was a good level of confidence shown by Solskjaer, who gave the midfielder plenty of opportunities to prove his worth. Pereira made 40 appearances and scored 2 goals in all competitions, although by the end of the 2019-20 season and having penned a new contract, the jury was still out.

Amidst the growing need to firmly establish his playing career, even if that meant moving away from Old Trafford again, Pereira was loaned to Serie A outfit Lazio. During his time with Italian side, the overall impression was positive, achieving a good level of consistency during 33 appearances. That being said, Lazio decided against activating their clause option to sign Pereira on a permanent basis, valued at around €27 million.

Having returned to Manchester United once again, both 25-year-old Pereira and the club could be facing some tough decisions ahead. According to the Manchester Evening News, the player has always had Flamengo in his heart after his move to the Brazilian side.

Solskjaer focused on Premier League title bid

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Speaking of confidence, that’s precisely what Pereira seeks from the United boss. Solskjaer believes his team can make a genuine bid for top honours, and he seems willing to let Pereira prove his worth, giving the attacking midfielder plenty pre-season match minutes. That confidence was also rewarded with an amazing strike by Andreas, thundering a first-time shot into the top corner during the recent friendly against newly promoted Brentford.

Always praised for his professionalism and maturity, the technical qualities and skills possessed by Pereira have never been in doubt. What he does need to demonstrate is the ability to showcase his talents on a consistent basis. Solskjaer is more than aware of what the player is capable of doing, yet it still remains to be seen if Pereira can produce the goods week in, week out.

Perhaps regular starts would give Pereira the sense of importance he craves, boosting his level of self-belief. Maybe that’s what the player has lacked throughout his time at Manchester United, in order to deliver the level of consistency required. For now, Solskjaer has left the door ajar for Pereira, hopeful that he can form part of a squad that can strive to win silverware. Only time will tell if those ambitions are to be fulfilled on both counts.