Sometimes it’s possible to fall into the trap of just presuming a player is still a great prospect, but Andreas Pereira actually turns 26 next season and the time has come for him to establish himself somewhere.
He’s a wonderfully talented midfielder who’s capable of scoring outstanding goals, but he’s not going to get a proper run in the Man United team next year, and his 33 appearances for Lazio last season were deceiving as the vast majority came from the bench in the dying moments.
There had been some talk of a return to Lazio as Maurizio Sarri may have given him a new lease of life, but he’s actually headed back to Brazil after Flamengo confirmed his signing:
A palavra Flamengo, do inglês Flemish, é o gentílico designado para se referir aos belgas nascidos na região Flamenga de Flandres, ao norte da Bélgica. Ou seja… #NasciFlamengo! pic.twitter.com/5LIMeU2sWK
— Flamengo (@Flamengo) August 20, 2021
It appears to be a loan spell with an option to buy, while he’s never actually played as a professional in Brazil as he was actually born in Belgium and came through the youth systems at Lommel and PSV.
Official and confirmed. Andreas Pereira joins Flamengo on loan from Manchester United. ??? #MUFC
Flamengo will not pay any loan fee but will share salary with Man United. Flamengo will have €20m buy option in 2022. Man Utd would receive 20% of future sale.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 20, 2021
He does have a cap for Brazil and impressing in their domestic game could help him add to that, so it will be interesting to see if he can make his mark.
