Should Versatile Playmaker Andreas Pereira Stay At Manchester United?

Should Versatile Playmaker Andreas Pereira Stay At Manchester United?
16:10, 29 Aug 2017

Valencia have expressed interested in Manchester United playmaker Andreas Pereira, although sources close the player had made it clear Jose Mourinho wants the player to stay.

The biggest issue is game time. Pereira spent last season on loan at Granada and now knows what playing week-in week-out feels like. In 2016, the Belgium-born U23 Brazil international was promised minutes under Louis van Gaal, but the Dutch manager went back on his word after denying Pereira a loan move.

After permitting a loan move to Granada, Mourinho kept regular contact with Pereira and put together a dossier to study the player’s progress. Then, the Portuguese manager took Pereira on United’s pre-season tour of America where he impressed — especially against Real Madrid in Michigan — which lead to calls for him to become a first-team regular this season.

But Mourinho has finally learned who warrants a place in his strongest starting eleven and United have started the season superbly, with three wins from three (10 goals scored, none conceded), yet there’s been no place for Pereira. Not even on the bench.

So, should Pereira, a product of United’s prestigious academy, remain at Old Trafford what are the pros and cons? 

Pro: Member of an improving dressing room with influential players - David de Gea, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. These are three players every young player is going to want to associate themselves with and to learn from. They won’t only help Pereira on the pitch but off it too, showing the youngster how they got to the levels they’re currently at.

Con: Lack of regular first-team football - It’s difficult to resist more when you get one slice of red velvet chocolate cake. Pereira was Granada’s most creative player last season, therefore, he was guaranteed to be playing each week. In 35 appearances for the Nazaríes, Pereira scored five times and registered three assists, but the developments he made in La Liga cannot be quantified in simple terms. He relished in his role as a key player for the Spanish strugglers, never hiding when the chips were down and bringing quality to his side’s play. It would be a shame to see his development halted now by seeing first-team football cut.

Pro: Managerial stability - Mourinho is going nowhere and he’s clearly an admirer of Pereira. Last season, the 21-year-old played under three different managers at Los Cármenes. Paco Jémez and Lucas Alcaraz were both sacked during his time at the club, but then Englishman Tony Adams failed in his task to keep Granada’s status as a La Liga club. The danger for players going out on loan is when the manager who brings him to the club is replaced, whoever is next in line might not fancy that player. Unfortunately, that potentially leads to game time being limited again and the player’s development becoming ideal. Pereira, of course, was good enough to withstand that last season but a move to Valencia has no guarantees. They’ve had nine different managerial switches since 1 July, 2012.

Pro: Competition for places - Perhaps selfish, but Mourinho and United fans want to see plenty of competition for places in the squad. There’s Champions League football to look forward to this season and Pereira will learn a lot from that. His versatility, too, will be a real assist. Pereira is comfortable on either flank, in central midfield as a number 10.

Pereira staying at United may be better for United short-term but is that beneficial to a player looking to improve and have a successful career? The next two days will be of interest to those expecting Pereira to reach significant heights throughout his career.

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