Scout Report: Andreas Pereira - Manchester United's future Brazilian Number 10
The number 10 is revered in Brazil. Ever since Pele accidentally got assigned the jersey number in the 1958 World Cup, it is now invariably worn by the best player of the Selecao. Footballers in the ilk of Rivellino, Zico, Rivaldo and now Neymar have adorned Numero Dez after Pele and given it a cult status.
Things are different at Manchester United, where number 7 holds a special place among the fans’ hearts. Nonetheless, United have had accomplished, prolific strikers including Denis Law, Mark Hughes, Teddy Sheringham, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney who have given it their all, and then some more, to make ‘10’ a special figure among Red Devils. Their efforts might be about to bear fruit, with a Brazilian youngster getting ready in the youth ranks to set the English football stage on fire in the years to come.
Meet Andreas Pereira: Manchester United Under-21’s number 10.
Background
The son of former Brazilian footballer Marcos Pereira, Andreas was born in the city of Duffel in Belgium in 1996. During his early years, he played with Lommel United, where his father had formerly played.
In 2005, at the age of nine, he joined Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, where he would stay for the next six years. In 2011, Manchester United came calling and Sir Alex Ferguson convinced the youngster to join their youth academy.
Since then, Pereira has gone from strength to strength. The teenager has put in impressive performances at the under-18 and under-21 level, for which he won the 2014/15 Manchester United Young Player of the Year award. He was also handed his first-team debut by manager Louis van Gaal in 2014 in the League Cup.
Born in Belgium to Brazilian parents, Pereira is eligible to play for either of the two nations at international level. After featuring for Belgium at youth level, he made no secret of his desire to play for Brazil, stressing that he is ”Brazilian at heart.”
In 2015, he represented Brazil in the U-20 FIFA World Cup held in New Zealand ans scored the equalizer in a 1-2 loss to Serbia in the final.
Strengths
The raw talent of Pereira is there for all to see. The attacking midfielder possesses a natural flair for dribbling. His first instinct on receiving the ball is to take on his marker and beat him to get into favourable attacking positions. He is a born trickster who can be a nightmare for defenders with his mazy dribbling and cute passes.
Pereira’s lean frame, accompanied by his agile legs, acceleration and clever change of pace, is ideal for this style of play. It is obvious that when it comes to football his body has been in perfect synch with his mentality from a very young age – a combination that makes any young player an exciting proposition.
The Brazilian also has both an eye as well as an appetite for long-range shots and frequently attempts curlers from distance. His delivery from set-pieces is impeccable, while his crosses from the wing are equally good.
Weaknesses
- The biggest weakness of Pereira is the ineffective, inconsistent, infuriating side of his talent.
- He likes to dribble, but on numerous occasions stays on the ball for too long, venturing into cul-de-sacs of his own making and killing team moves.
- A by-product of his dribbling is his minimal link-up play with teammates.
- Loses possession too often while deceiving the opponent.
- His lack of upper body strength makes it difficult to fend off defenders in central attacking areas.
- His appetite for long-range shots does not match his accuracy. The result: curlers and pile drivers fly all over the place, except in goal.
- Guilty of over-attempting ‘Hollywood passes’- fancy long passes and crosses- when a simple short pass to a teammate would suffice.
Apart from this, the passing and finishing of the 19-year-old leaves a lot to be desired. In a nutshell, there is massive scope for improvement in all aspects- physical, technical and mental.
Future Prospect
The present situation of Andres Pereira is reminiscent of the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United in 2003. The talent of Ronaldo was undoubted, so much so that Sir Alex Ferguson chose him as the successor of David Beckham to United’s prestigious number 7 jersey. In his initial years, he would wow the Old Trafford with his dribbling and trickery, but very seldom had an end product to show for it.
However, the thin, gangly, wiry-haired boy slowly started to mature – the dribbles seemed more purposeful, the shots more venomous, the headers more deadly, the body stronger and the sight of ‘CR7’ more frightening to defenders with every passing game. The development would eventually culminate in three successive league titles for Manchester United and a Champions League trophy in 2008.
Andreas Pereira is an uncut diamond not unlike Ronaldo. In Louis van Gaal, he has a mentor who will provide him an ideal environment to develop and a chance to play in the first-team if he shows the required level of performance. The future is unpredictable, but with continued hard work and a pinch of luck, the potential of Andreas Pereira can flower into another footballing wonder.
If it does, Manchester United and England will have the good fortune of witnessing the magic of the Brazilian number 10.