Manchester United are currently in search of a change of direction for their youth academy, which we know thanks to the news that Spurs' head of player development John McDermott rejected the chance to swap London for the North of England earlier in the week, but many fans of the club are not only concerned about the lack of talent coming through to the first team, but the lack of chances that are being given to some of the players that have come through.
While the likes of Tyler Blackett, Paddy McNair, and now Cameron Borthwick-Jackson have been given a chance to show what they've got, granted mainly due to necessity, and the promising but raw Jesse Lingard has been given a good go since returning from injury, one player who has not had the chance to strut their stuff is the highly rated Andreas Pereira.
The Belgian/Brazilian showed on Monday night that he is far too good to still be playing U21 football, after he pulled the strings in a convincing 4-0 win for the United U21's over Southampton, where the academy is considered one of the best in world football, but speaking recently to Globo Esporte in Brazil, Pereira has revealed that he is becoming frustrated at a lack of first team opportunities:
Andreas Pereira: "I'm a Man United player, [but] I've seen in the press that there are various other clubs interested."
— United Peoples TV (@UnitedPeoplesTV) January 20, 2016
Pereira: "I don't know if United want to loan me out but I'm working hard to get more opportunities. It's their decision."
— United Peoples TV (@UnitedPeoplesTV) January 20, 2016
Pereira: "I'm focused on doing my job at Utd, of course I want to be more visible to those in Brazil. I need to play and get more chances."
— United Peoples TV (@UnitedPeoplesTV) January 20, 2016
Pereira: "I get frustrated at times when I don't play, LvG is always speaking to me. I need more game time. Utd will decide with my agent."
— United Peoples TV (@UnitedPeoplesTV) January 20, 2016
United fans' likely first reaction will be: NOT A LOAN DEAL. And after the complete disaster that was Adnan Januzaj's loan it's easy to see why, but the scars from Paul Pogba's departure still remain after the French midfielder who was named in the FIFPro World XI at the recent Ballon D'Or ceremony left the club under similar circumstances.
Louis Van Gaal has given Pereira very few chances to show what he can do, but when he has done the young playmaker has looked like he has the makings of a quality footballer. A sublime free-kick against Ipswich Town in the league cup capped an impressive showing, but aside from that a late substitute appearance against Watford and being thrown into a nightmare situation against Bournemouth are the only times United fans have seen him.
Even Nick Powell has been chosen ahead of Pereira in recent times, which suggests that Van Gaal does not fully trust the player that United swiped from PSV Eindhoven in 2011. Should that continue until the end of the season, then Pereira will no doubt be considering his options, but it is interesting to think how a new manager may alter his view.
It's wait and see time, but it's frustrating for Manchester United fans to again see one of their top young talents publicly admitting that thoughts of a move away are being considered.
