The list of promising youngsters that haven’t quite made the grade at Manchester United is long, and ever-increasing. Whether these talents have come through the club’s academy, like Adnan Januzaj or cherry-picked from European clubs, like Memphis Depay, it is getting harder and harder to make an impression for young players at Old Trafford, and all-too often, they leave England having failed to make a lasting impression.
That seems to be the fate that awaits Andreas Pereira. The Belgium-born Brazilian international has been on the club’s books since 2012, having been signed from PSV Eindhoven, but has only made 13 competitive appearances in that time, and has been loaned out to Peterborough, Granada and Valencia. The last two years spent in La Liga during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge have certainly given him more game time than he would have received under the Portuguese’s stewardship, but the suggestion was that the deal that took Pereira to Los Che was conducted against the manager’s wishes. Given that Scott McTominay was given a long run in the side this season, one wonders if Pereira has missed his chance.
That appears to be the thinking in this report from The Mirror, which suggests that the Brazilian could be on his way back to La Liga on a permanent deal, this time. Real Betis would be the destination, which would make sense given the player’s experience in the league, and at 22, it’s understandable to suggest that Pereira needs to be playing regularly in order to advance his career, something that is unlikely to happen given that his compatriot Fred will likely be arriving at the club from Shakhtar Donetsk in the coming weeks.
It would be a shame to see Pereira leave United with his talent unfulfilled, but given how few of the club’s young prospects are able to fully make an impression at the club, his story would hardly be an exception to the rule.
