Eyebrows were rightly raised when Andreas Pereira was included in Manchester United’s starting XI on Saturday. It’s fair to say the Brazilian has been less than impressive this season.
However, he silenced everyone with a simply stunning goal which started the Red Devils’ comeback. He also picked up an assist just moments later as Romelu Lukaku fired home.
The main difference? Pereira was playing in a different position. He’d previously been used in that holding midfielder role which wasn’t working. Passing was sloppy, he looked too lightweight to tackle and it just didn’t seem to fit.
Credit to Solskjaer, though. He gave Pereira a freedom to role and an option to play further up the field. It has already paid dividends as the 23-year-old has at least given himself a chance at salvaging a United career that looked in tatters just a fortnight ago…
Confidence was key, and let’s not forget that Pereira actually started his career further up the field. He just looked much more comfortable creating and playmaking rather than being tasked with dealing with the dirty work.
Positionally he looked much sounder. At times in the #6 role, he looked like a headless chicken. Maybe in time he’ll improve in that area of the field, but right now, he has proven he can do damage higher up. With the current injury crisis, United should utilise his best skill-set.
Furthermore, this shows that Solskjaer isn’t just a yes-man who has lifted the player’s spirits. He has immense tactical knowledge. Don’t forget that Diogo Dalot also played a huge part in the Southampton game while playing out of position, and it’s wonderful to see Pereira benefitting too…
Be the first to comment