Andreas Pereira has named the biggest flop he played with at Manchester United and also revealed he never felt loved by the Red Devils.
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Pereira spent over a decade at Manchester UnitedNames biggest flop he played with at Old TraffordReveals why he decided to leave Red DevilsWHAT HAPPENED?
Brazil international Pereira spent 11 years at Manchester United playing alongside a host of big names but never managed to cement himself a position in the starting lineup at Old Trafford. The midfielder ended up going out on loan to Granada, Valencia, Lazio and Flamengo before eventually securing a permanent transfer to Fulham in 2022, where he has gone on to play regularly.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Pereira has now spoken about his time at Manchester United and explained how he feels it can be difficult for even the best players to adapt to life with the Red Devils. The Brazilian offered up Angel Di Maria as an example of a top star who had failed to impress at Old Trafford, and admitted he never felt loved at the club.
WHAT PEREIRA SAID
He told Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel : "For me, Angel Di Maria. From the first session, he was unbelievable. He arrived from the Champions League final, being the best player, after the first session everyone said we would win the league. This guy was amazing. The Leicester goal… When he did the dink and the heart (celebration) after… Then you know what happened. It was crazy. He didn’t adapt. Then the thing happened with this family. I was thinking, ‘How can this kind of player not play at United?’ – so the pressure is there."
Pereira then went on to talk about his decision to leave United and move to Flamengo on loan before sealing a permanent transfer to Fulham: "I said let’s go to Flamengo. Everyone at United said I was crazy, that I would stay in Brazil and I would never come back to Europe. [But] I wanted to play in Brazil," he added. "I wanted to feel loved. I didn’t feel the love I thought I should get. I wanted to feel the love, from my own people, be close to my family and enjoy my football."
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Di Maria is far from the only big name to flop at Old Trafford in recent years. The Red Devils have invested heavily in big names but current stars such as Antony and Jadon Sancho have failed to impress at Old Trafford and have been tipped for exits in the summer transfer window.