Andreas Pereira admits a desire to ‘prove people wrong’ was a big factor in his decision to leave Manchester United for Premier League rivals Fulham to the tune of £10 million.
And, for the most part, he’s done just that.
OK, no one can realistically argue that Manchester United ought to should have retained the services of a man who could make his first appearance for Brazil since 2018 this month. But Andreas Pereira – while not quite a midfielder of truly elite talent – has certainly proved that he belongs on the Premier League stage.
After a series of hit-and-miss loan spells at the likes of Lazio and Valencia, and after struggling to convince under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford, Pereira’s success in establishing himself as one of the first names on the Fulham team sheet should not be underestimated.
Andraes Pereira opens up on Manchester United exit
“I wanted to show people that I can play in the Premier League. That I can play at the highest level,” Pereira tells Fulham Fix, opening up on the discussions with Marco Silva that convinced him to leave United for West London in 2022.
“When the boss (Silva) called me, he said; ‘I know you have the quality to play in the Premier League. I want you to show it, and I want to give you the chance to do it’.
“When he said that, it was like a challenge for me.”
Pereira has 19 goals and assists in almost two years as a Fulham player. Not quite Bruno Fernandes numbers, perhaps.
But a more than respectable tally for a 28-year-old who, when Manchester United finally decided to cash in, was yet to dispel those ‘pre-season Pirlo’ allegations and prove he could make his mark in a competitive, top-flight environment.
Now Fulham’s creative kingpin
“I spoke about (moving to Fulham) with my father,” Pereira adds. “And I said; ‘I think I want to go back (to England after that loan spell at Flamengo). I want to prove the people wrong, I’m a top player, I want to play in a top league’.
“So that’s what made me come to Fulham.”
Last week, in that long-awaited interview with The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, former Red Devils boss Solskjaer mentioned Pereira as one of three players who were central to his speedy, counter-attacking style.
Ole’s so-called ‘Tricky Reds’ boasted a record against top-six sides Erik ten Hag could only dream of.
“There were players whose main strength was counter-attacking, running and digging in,” Solskjaer explains.
“In previous years, you had players like (Andreas) Pereira, (Dan) James and (Jesse) Lingard that could run all day. And it’s easy to set up a team and beat City away from home.”
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