Erik ten Hag wants Andreas Pereira in the Manchester United squad for next season
According to the Brazilian outlet Yahoo Brasil (h/t The Sun), Erik ten Hag supposedly has expressed his desire to keep Andreas Pereira in the Manchester United squad for next season. This update would come as a surprise for most supporters as the midfielder has not played for them since 2020.
Pereira will see his current contract with Man United expire at the end of the next campaign. He was close to signing for Flamengo on a permanent transfer after being on loan with them throughout the previous term. However, a move failed to be finalised, but it seems that he may have a lifeline after all.
Football director John Murtough has already conveyed to the Brazilian that ten Hag believes he “fits the desired squad profile”. As such, the Red Devils are not looking to sell Pereira this summer, with the midfielder looking set to be provided with one final chance to salvage his playing career.
Good decision?
Many fans had thought that the Red Devils would finally be getting rid of one of their disappointing signings in Pereira this summer. However, the failed permanent transfer to Flamengo caused concerns within the fanbase that the club would be forced to keep hold of the 26-year-old for another season.
However, it looks like the South American may have some role to play while donning our shirt in the next campaign. That is if ten Hag has plans for the midfielder as this piece of information claims to be. It is further stated that the boss will meet Pereira shortly and discuss his plans for the next term.
This news is a shocking turnaround, to say the least, although it could simply be a case of managing things for the time being. After all, there is going to be an exodus in midfield with players like Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata leaving this summer.
Replacing all of them at once could be difficult, so perhaps ten Hag is trying to make use of what he has at this point. We have other targets like Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong and Edson Alvarez of Ajax on the transfer shortlist, but signing both of them would still leave us short-handed to an extent looking at the departures.
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Moreover, there is no guarantee that we can bring in all the summer targets, which means that ten Hag would be forced to do with what he has at hand. Pereira could be one such stop-gap solution, and the midfielder could prove to be useful if he can replicate the form he had shown back in Brazil.
Apart from the high profile mistake that led to their defeat in the Copa Libertadores final to Palmeiras, Pereira had enjoyed a great time with Flamengo. While playing week in and week out in the Premier League is a whole different challenge, he could still be a solid backup option in the holding midfield role.
