There are some players who you just automatically consider as a prospect, but their age can sneak up on you and suddenly they’re in their mid 20s and they still haven’t established themselves as a starter anywhere.
That appears to be the case for Man United loanee Andreas Pereira just now, with the 25 year old midfielder currently out on loan with Italian giants Lazio.
It took him a while to get going due to covid-19 issues and he has made 15 first team appearances, but they’ve only totalled 309 minutes so he’s little more than an impact sub just now.
A report from The Star via Goal has indicated that there could still be a chance of a permanent deal, but it’s currently impossible due to United’s asking price of €25m.
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It’s hard to see him being anything more than a backup player if he does return to Old Trafford so this loan spell was clearly designed to put him in the shop window, but that hasn’t happened so far.
Ideally they need him to break into the Lazio team and have a sparkling end to the season to spark some interest, but it does look like it could be another wasted season for the midfielder.
Ultimately it looks like United will need to dramatically lower their asking price or send him out on loan again next season if he does return, but he’s reaching that point where he needs to establish himself somewhere.