What Solskjaer Said About Andreas Pereira’s New Role After Southampton Win
Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Andreas Pereira may have had his best day in a Manchester United shirt yet, as the Red Devils won 3-2 against Southampton at Old Trafford.
His impact was immensely valuable, as he first equalized the game in the second half after the Saints had taken the lead. A mere minutes following that, he provided a well-timed pass to Romelu Lukaku, resulting in him putting United forward.
Strangely enough, this was only the youngster’s second goal for Manchester United, and the first in the Premier League, his previous strike having arrived in 2015.
Loan spells after graduating from the youth academy have been the culprit behind that, as was the defensive midfield spot that Jose Mourinho adamantly assigned to the player despite his attacking tendency.
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Against Southampton, that positioning was altered, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may have discovered a winning formula with Pereira in the process.
The caretaker gaffer commented: “So pleased for him and so happy for him. He’s gone through the academy, we know what he’s capable of.
He’s got loads of energy, drive, we maybe found a better position for him than as a number six, more of an eight or 10. He’s got high energy quality in his passing, crossing and shooting. So pleased for him, a goal and an assist, it’s a nice day for him to remember.”
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The Norwegian went on to add: “Young kids at the start of their careers, when they get criticism there’s nothing better than seeing them grabbing their chance when they get it.”
Pereira himself had this to say about his performance: “It’s my best day and my first Premier League goal after a difficult game, so very, very happy. There were a lot of beautiful goals in the game. [It was] a difficult day for the ‘keepers.
“When I received [the ball], I saw Luke[Shaw] on my left and thought I would give it him, but it was so nice on my right and I practiced in training the day before, which gave me a lot of confidence, because I put four in the top corner yesterday. So today I had a good feeling and went for it.”