Could 21-year-old Andreas Pereira finally break into the Manchester United side this season?

Add as preferred source on Google

It’s not exactly like Manchester United are short in the midfield department heading into the new Premier League campaign but this could be the year where a new youngster forces his way through.

Andreas Pereira has been on the books at Old Trafford since arriving from PSV Eindhoven as a 16-year-old in 2011, playing a major role in United’s Under-21 side for a number of seasons, and under Louis van Gaal he was awarded his first-team debut in the 4-0 humiliation at Milton Keynes Dons.

Since then, the 21-year-old has continued to develop in the youth system at Old Trafford, scoring a sumptuous free-kick on his first full start against Ipswich, and he is deemed a very talented prospect.

And after being sent out on-loan to Spanish side Granada last season, impressing despite their eventual relegation from La Liga, Pereira has returned to England with a big point to prove this year.

Speaking to MUTV just last week, he said:

“I am very happy that I am back, and I can be part of this team. I will try to do my best to stay here, get an important role for the season, to help my team-mates and to impress the manager.

“It boosts me that the people here trust the young players. I am very happy for the young players and I want to be a part of this team as well.”

And boss Jose Mourinho has wasted no time in integrating Pereira into his pre-season plans, awarding him game-time during the respective victories against LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake so far.

Yet it was in Monday’s outing – a 2-1 victory over Salt Lake – that has intrigued Manchester United supporters, with Pereira being utilised in a defensive midfield role. The youngster has always been touted as an up-and-coming attacking threat, so to be utilised deeper was something of a surprise.

But nevertheless, he stepped in and enjoyed a very impressive cameo appearance, pulling the strings nicely and offering stubborn and disciplined defensive cover – looking comfortable whilst doing so.

One thing that caught the eye in particular was, unlike Michael Carrick’s more defensively-minded style of play, he was always on the look-out for that killer pass and searching for a lot of movement.

The only issue is that Pereira is not naturally a defensive player, despite being utilised as a central midfielder at Granada last season – but this brings up a big conundrum for Mourinho to now solve.

With Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera, Anthony Martial, Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marcus Rashford already in the ranks at Manchester United, Pereira is unlikely to find regular first-team football anytime soon.

His ideal role, as a roaming midfielder, is almost exclusively reserved for the £89 million man Pogba for the entire season, which means that he could struggle to feature in his most natural role.

Nonetheless, Pereira is still only 21 years of age and it’s important to remember that, and if Mourinho can bleed him into the first-team, like he did with Rashford, then the Brazilian could be a key part of Manchester United’s future.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by United News Fan Club.