It’s been a long road to the Manchester United first team for Andreas Pereira, with the Brazilian having been a part of the club’s set-up since his 16th birthday. Two successive loans at La Liga clubs Granada and Valencia appeared to spell the end of his career at Old Trafford, but Pereira has impressed during this summer’s tour, and with Nemanja Matic and Ander Herrera both absent due to injury, the 22-year old looks ready to step up to the big time. Indeed, he performed impressively as a defensive midfielder in Friday night’s 2-1 defeat of Leicester City, alongside Fred and Paul Pogba.
“It was very good to go out there, to feel the fans supporting us and to play at home in Old Trafford is always good,” said Pereira to MUTV after Friday’s game. ” I am going to try my best to keep playing and help the team as much as I can and hopefully we will see that this season.”
Pereira was also full of praise for his teammates, including compatriot Fred, who made his Premier League debut on Friday and captain Paul Pogba.
“Fred is a very good player and I am very happy for him, he played very well today and I am happy we won. I am also very happy for Luke Shaw, [who scored] a good goal. [Paul] was very good. A player like him doesn’t need a pre-season.
Of course, United’s victory wasn’t without its tension, with Jamie Vardy’s injury time strike halving the team’s lead and setting up a tense finale. Pereira, however, was certain that United would not throw their lead away.
“It was a bit tense at the end, but we were solid at the back and we practised a lot in training so we were certain we were not going to concede at the end. It’s very important to start strong, so we win now the first game, which gives a bit of a relief, but we have to focus on the next game because we want to keep winning.”
