Amidst all the spotlight being centred around Jesse Lingard’s struggles this season for Manchester United – his goal against FC Astana in the Europa League in November ended a shocking run of not scoring since January 2019 – it is easy to forget that he is not the only one who has fluffed his lines.
Andreas Pereira has arguably been in the same boat as his United teammate, but has perhaps escaped some of the fierce criticism because he is not in the media’s eye as much. But in truth, he has been just as woeful as Lingard this year.
Despite playing 37 games across all competitions, the Brazilian has found the back of the net just twice, and provided a measly four assists. With the majority of his games coming in that all-important number ten role, that end-product simply isn’t good enough for a team the stature of United.
Watch Manchester United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
In 14 matches playing in the attacking midfield position this campaign as per Transfermarkt, Pereira has scored only once. It was perhaps no surprise then that the Red Devils targeted a new marquee name for that role, and in the end, they managed to lure Bruno Fernandes away from Sporting CP in the January transfer window.
And despite only playing nine times for his new side, Fernandes has made Pereira look like a complete fool. The Portugal international has struck three times and set-up a further four goals, with his average match rating of 7.82 in the Premier League, comfortably the highest of any United player.
Pereira on the other hand has averaged a 6.58 rating in the top-flight, leaving him in 16th place amongst all United players. The £18m-rated ace just isn’t cutting the mustard for the Red Devils, and it’s why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should be ruthless with him this summer.
When you’re given the trust and opportunity to play in one of the attacking positions for a side like United, you can’t afford to be a passenger. Unfortunately for Pereira, that is simply the case with him. His appalling record of four goals in 72 total games for the club shouldn’t be tolerated. It’s why the Red Devils should look to move him on this summer.
Meanwhile, Man Utd can’t afford to see this man join Man City instead.