“I didn’t speak with Ten Hag” – Pereira United transfer to Fulham

• Andreas Pereira snubbed Erik ten Hag talks in order to force transfer away from Manchester United.

According to Andreas Pereira, he refused to speak with Erik ten Hag so that he might force through a transfer from Manchester United in 2022.

The Brazilian international, who was born in Belgium and came up through the Red Devils’ illustrious academy system, made 75 appearances for the Premier League’s top teams when he was at Old Trafford.

He was never a certain starter, though, and after spending time on loan at Lazio and Flamengo, he decided in the most recent summer transfer window that he wanted a new beginning, regardless of what a potential Manchester United coach might have believed.

Pereira, who linked up with Fulham in a £10 million ($12m) deal, has told ESPN of making sure that he was not talked into remaining at Old Trafford: “I didn’t speak with Ten Hag. I know him because I worked with him at PSV but I was determined in my head and maybe if I spoke with the manager again I would stay. In my head I was thinking ‘I need to go, I need to feel confident and play’ and that’s what I did.

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“At United I had a lot of memories; good memories, bad memories. It’s been 10 years at the club. I arrived when I was 16 so, you know, a young boy. It was an amazing ride but I got to the stage where I thought maybe it was best not to stay. I wanted to feel more loved and I wanted to play every game. What Fulham offered me and what [manager] Marco [Silva] offered me, it was the perfect opportunity.”

Pereira, who has started all 27 of Fulham’s Premier League games this season, is set to return to Manchester on Sunday for a FA Cup quarter-final clash with United.

He has said of that reunion: “I’ll have mixed emotions. It’s a difficult game but I’m happy to play against Manchester United. It will be my first time back and feeling that atmosphere. I’ve never been there as a visitor so it will be something new. They have a lot of confidence. They’re playing really, really well but sometimes when you’re that confident it’s not good as well. We know we have to work very, very hard to win against them but we will do everything and try to play the perfect game.”

Pereira got his lone cap for Brazil back in 2018, but with Fulham now ninth in the English top division, his performance this year may put him in line for a future call-up.