Why this 22-year-old on-loan starlet deserves his chance at Manchester United

Why Andreas Pereira Deserves His Chance At Manchester United

According to Manchester Evening News, Andreas Pereira will look to leave Manchester United permanently this summer if he cannot make it into Jose Mourinho’s first-team.

The 22-year-old midfielder has enjoyed a year-long loan spell at Valencia this season, making 28 appearances so far for the La Liga club. He has impressed in his loan spell in Spain and will return back to United at the end of this season.

Pereira has been one of the standout performers at Valencia and has displayed that he is ready for the step up at United. Jose Mourinho didn’t like the idea of the 22-year-old leaving United on loan last summer but he should now be satisfied seeing how the move has panned out.

At Man United, Michael Carrick will hang up his boots at the end of the season and join Mourinho’s backroom staff, while Marouane Fellaini could leave on a free transfer having not signed an extension so far.

Mourinho must add a quality midfielder to his ranks in the summer transfer window and that’s the position Pereira would be looking to challenge after he returns from Valencia.

Although Pereira has regularly been deployed in his preferred position on the wing for Valencia, he is also capable of playing in central midfield. Mourinho used him in the deep-lying midfield role in the pre-season and despite the player doing well, the 22-year-old had to leave Old Trafford after United signed Nemanja Matic from Chelsea.

Pereira made a huge impression in the pre-season with United before moving to Spain and has gone from strength to strength. Despite having the likes of Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominoy, Mourinho has to strengthen the team’s midfield to challenge Manchester City for the title next season.

However, before taking a dip in the transfer market and spending millions on a new central midfielder, it would be wise for the Portuguese tactician to provide an opportunity to Pereira. The 22-year-old is a versatile player and although he has mainly featured on the left-wing, he is more than capable of playing in central midfield.

The Belgian-born Brazilian has bags of potential and will be coming to United on the back of a highly successful campaign with Valencia. Prior to going out on loan to Valencia, Pereira spent his time with Granada. They suffered relegation last season but Pereira’s performances received rave reviews.

Pereira’s ability to slot in anywhere across the pitch would bring a huge value to United next term. Mourinho must not ignore the elusive talent of the 22-year-old and must give him chances before making a decision on the player’s future.