44. Andreas Hoelgebaum Pereira
A talented, creative midfielder signed from PSV Eindhoven.
The youngster saw his Reds debut ruined by terrible weather at Sheffield Wednesday with the match ultimately abandoned but he featured towards the end of the 2011/2012 campaign for Paul McGuinness' side.
Pereira signed professional terms with United at the start of 2013 after turning 17 and continues to look a bright spark. Always a threat from dead-ball situations, he grew to adapt to the rigours of English football and contributed five goals with the promise of more to follow.
The Belgium-born prospect also captained the 2013 Milk Cup-winning team and was voted Player of the Tournament after helping himself to three goals en route to the final and sparkling when handed the extra responsibility.
By being involved with Warren Joyce's older age-group at the end of 2012/13, it was clear he is held in very high regard within the Aon Training Complex as he did not been heavily involved with McGuinness' side in his final year at Academy level.
Instead, he featured for the Reserves and been influential in the UEFA Youth League, pitting his wits against continental opposition. There was still time for some sublime moments of magic in the FA Youth Cup as he hit outstanding strikes at both Burnley and Leicester City.
The young schemer scored on his first full appearance at Old Trafford, curling home the winner in the Under-21 clash against West Ham, and produced another spark of genius to settle the Barclays Under-21 Premier League semi-final at Liverpool's Anfield.
Very comfortable in possession, he is also an excellent set-piece taker and had an impressive record at international level for the Belgium youth team, before changing his international allegiance to Brazil. Although born in Belgium, his family hail from the South American country and his father was a former professional footballer.
A first trophy with the Selecao followed in the summer of 2014 as he was part of the successful Under-20 Panda Cup squad in Asia. The 2014/15 promises to be a huge one for Pereira as he must produce consistently for Joyce's side and increase his influence on games if he is to remain ahead of schedule and achieve his ambition of breaking into the first team.
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Andreas Perreira action at PSV Academy.
When United Signed him.
Manchester United
A Closer Look at Andreas Pereira, the Signing from PSV
By
Yoosof Farah
(Featured Columnist) on November 8, 2011
A super-talented attacking midfielder, 15-year-old Andreas Pereira has confirmed his transfer from PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United.
He said: "I knew that PSV had given me my chance, but Manchester United is obviously a great club."
"Other British clubs were interested. I thought about it, but Manchester United is a dream club for me. I have been a few times to Manchester United to have a look."
"I got a tour and spoke with Sir Alex Ferguson. Being a 15-year-old and being able to talk with him is great!"
As has been well-documented, the youngster is said to be one of the best young players in Europe, but that's all that has been reported.
So what else is there to know about Pereira? A Brazilian-born Belgium U16 International, Pereira is a player in the Paul Scholes mould.
He has remarkable technical ability for a player of his age and even better ability with the ball than a lot of players at the U19 level and perhaps higher.
His touch and ability to control the ball is very good, while his ability to pluck the ball out of the air is reminiscent of a young Gonzalo Higuain or Dimitar Berbatov.
Pereira is also good at dribbling, but like his future United teammate Nani (especially in the Portugal winger's younger years), he can overstep the mark a bit too frequently.
Where he really excels running with the ball is in his ability to retain possession under pressure in an almost Xavi Hernandez type of manner.
Make Up Your Own Mind On Andreas Pereira
In terms of his passing—one of the main reasons he's so coveted—Pereira is like a young Scholes or Xavi in his vision. He seems able to pick out the run of almost any teammate, and more often than not is accurate with his pass.
His one problem is that he does prefer to seek out the Hollywood pass when better, easier options are available, but that's understandable for a young player who's looking to impress.
In terms of his shooting, he has a decent long-range shot on him, but he does lack the accuracy to be a world-class midfield finisher, so it may be a while before he scores a Frank Lampard number of goals from the middle.
Defensively, he offers a good eye for the interception. Being a player who's always on the lookout for where to play the next pass, Pereira has good ability to read his opposite number's game, and he uses that well to make some key interceptions.
Tackling-wise he isn't the best, again like Paul Scholes, but that isn't really part of his role anyway, so it doesn't matter too much.
Overall, he is a player who definitely fits in with the Manchester United way of playing, and if his performances up until now are anything to go by, Andreas Pereira is a player with huge potential and perhaps an even bigger re-sale value.
Andreas Pereira Rating
Shooting: 7/10
Passing: 9/10
Tackling: 4/10
Vision: 8/10
Heading: 6/10
Dribbling: 7/10
Technique: 10/10
Potential: 10/10
Potential Transfer Value: £40 million
First team debut, MK Dons vs Man. United.
Photo with first team.