He is currently on-loan in La Liga, but he could soon be a star man for Manchester United.
Manchester United’s Andreas Pereira and Liverpool’s Cameron Brannagan
Manchester United’s 21-year-old star Andreas Pereira has all the traits one would typically associate with a Brazilian midfielder, but whilst his vision, technique and cute free-kicks have all been well-documented, the youngster possesses so much more that ought to excite Manchester United fans.
In fact, Pereira has a little bit of everything. A hard-working player, on-loan at La Liga strugglers Granada, the midfielder has had to develop fast, and those demands have turned him into a well-disciplined individual. Those who haven’t seen Pereira in action in Spain seem to have him down as a tricky creative midfielder, but in truth, he is capable of playing anywhere from the left wing to as a box-to-box midfielder.
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The Belgian-born Brazil under-23 international is indeed capable of picking apart a defence, but he is equally capable of intercepting passes in the centre of the pitch and snuffing out opposition attacks. It is this which sets Pereira apart, and he has been the brightest spark in a Granada team which currently sit in the La Liga relegation zone.
Andreas Pereira in action for Granada against Barcelona
The son of Marcos Pereira, a Brazilian striker who spent the majority of his career in the Belgian second tier, Andreas joined his fathers club Lommel United as a child, before being snapped up by PSV at the age of just nine.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool were all interested in young Andreas by the time he was 15, but as was so often the case during that time, the lure of playing under Sir Alex Ferguson brought the Brazilian to Old Trafford. By 17, he was captaining the Red Devils youth side in the 2013 Milk Cup, going on to be named the Player of the Tournament.
In August 2014, the then-teenager made his Manchester United debut as a second half substitute in the club’s humiliating 4-0 cup defeat to Milton Keynes. It wouldn’t be until over a year later, in September 2015, that Pereira would really announce himself to the Manchester United fans, scoring a delightful free-kick in the League Cup against Ipswich Town.
Pereira celebrates scoring for Manchester United
Ahead of Jose Mourinho’s debut season at Old Trafford, many expected Pereira to be a part of his first team plans, but with Paul Pogba’s arriving as a major midfield re-enforcement, Mourinho was left with a surplus of central midfielders, as shown by the controversial treatment of Bastian Schweinsteiger that would dominate much of Mourinho’s early reign at Old Trafford.
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And so a loan deal was sanctioned for Pereira, with Granada the lucky suitors. The 21-year-old made his league debut two days after arriving in Spain, and has now played more minutes than any other outfield player at the club.
It is a loan move which has worked wonders, and Pereira is still a man very much honing his craft. As a player who loves to get on the ball and make things happen, the young Brazilian may be frustrated to be in a struggling team who often see little of the ball and spend large stretches of games sitting back and keeping things tight, but it has seen the other elements of his game come on leaps and bounds.
Paris St Germain’s Marco Verratti in action with Manchester United’s Andreas Pereira
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