The newest protégé of Louis Van Gaal is 19 year old Andreas Pereira but the Dutchman says, “I have nothing against Brazilian”
Van Gaal has had some notable fall outs with other Brazilian’s he has managed but Pereira fell into the hands of the Dutchman and was kept in the squad at Manchester United. He has been able to learn and improve, most pertinently from Bastian Schweinsteiger as he now aims for Olympic selection.
If it is true the old story that Louis van Gaal does not like Brazilians, then Andreas Pereira is an exception in the Dutchman’s history. At 19, the midfielder has achieved something difficult: instead of being loaned out to gain experience, he was kept in the squad by Manchester United after impressing the coach in the pre-season. For now, the relationship with the manager, who had problems with Rivaldo at Barcelona and, more recently, the right-back Rafael, is not a problem for the player.
“My relationship with him is normal, as with all players. I do not think he has that business with Brazil, not. Everyone says he send Brazilian though, is not so. To me it is ordinary like everyone else. I think he has nothing against Brazilians. Everyone talks whatever, but with me everything is good” Pereira said.
To “conquer” this myth that hangs over Van Gaal, the youngster had two trump cards: the pre-season, which he was used frequently where he scored a goal, and the World Under-20 when the Brazilian team finished as runners up. The player’s performance caught the coach’s attention, and he decided to keep this precocious teen in his star-studded cast.
“The World Cup helped. When I returned there (United), the coach liked. For me it was a great preseason and played games, participated in the majority. The coach said he did not want me to be borrowed. He said I had to be patient, I have to keep working hard, it will give me an opportunity.”
In fact, playing time will not be easy for Pereira, despite earning admiration from Van Gaal. The competition for the Brazilian is strong: Schneiderlin, Carrick, Herrera, Depay, Schweinsteiger (are all in front of him). However, the kid preaches patience. For now, he takes the opportunity to learn, especially with Manchester United’s new German signing.
“I hope to play. I know that Manchester United is one of the best clubs in the world, you have the best players. I understand, I have patience. But I want to show what I can do. Can you learn a lot every day. Especially Schweinsteiger, who has great quality. In training, he tells me what I have to do. But not one player who helps me, is all.”
Summoned to the Olympic team, Andreas trained as a starter on Saturday. He is one of the team representatives who was runner-up at the U20’s World Cup who were called by Rogério Micale and Dunga for the under-23 team. For him, the call was a result of previous good performance.
“We knew we had a good World Cup, the coach would talk about people in CBF. We knew that a good World Cup gave us a better opportunity to play in the Olympic team. And really that’s it.”
The end of the memories against Serbia, however, are still strong. In that game, Andreas was almost the hero. Brazil equalised, and at the very end of the match, from a free kick, saw the ball pass centimeters from the post. I could have brought home the title. Today, more coldly analyzing the match, which ended with in 2-1 victory for the Serbs, the Brazilian goalscorer muses that the team lacked tranquility and calmness.
“I still think the game. I thought all day on vacation it was always on my mind I could not forget. Even more because it was the game that led to us winning. I think it had to have been more quiet. We were dominating. But there was anxiety, we wanted to gain time. We had to become more calm and go for penalties because we won every game on penalties.”
Since the World Cup, the trump card that Pereira has is his multicultural background. Born in Belgium, he spent the base of his childhood at PSV in Holland, before signing with Manchester United in 2012. Rogério Micale, who coaches Pereira at youth international level often praise the tactical awareness of the player, who believes that this feature can help you.
“I think that’s a very big advantage I have, because I was made in Europe, but I’m Brazilian style playing. I learned these things from childhood, I have the capabilities to perform on the field, I’m more used to. There are more details. Every country has its style. In Europe, they are more tactical, do not like to improvise, like things clear, everyone does their job. I know how they think. Do not like one on one and to dribble but like to pass more, entering alone, fitting the game. You have to follow the plan explained.”
Against France on Tuesday in Le Mans, Pereira can show more of the tactical awareness that pleased Micale and technical quality that made him enter the plans of Van Gaal.
