Andreas Pereira names biggest Man Utd flop and takes swipe at old club
'You know what happened... It was crazy.'
Andreas Pereira has named the biggest Manchester United flop from his 11-year spell at the club and has appeared to take a swipe at his former side.
The Brazil international joined United from PSV Eindhoven in 2011, starting off in the youth ranks before making his first-team debut three years later.
Pereira played 75 games for United and spent time out on loan at Spanish sides Granada and Valencia as well as Italian club Lazio and Brazilian team Flamengo.
The 28-year-old left Old Trafford permanently in 2022, moving to fellow Premier League side Fulham, and has opened up about his United stint in a new interview.
‘Sometimes it’s not the right time at the right club,’ Pereira said on Rio Ferdinand’s YouTube channel. ‘Some things don’t go well for you, it doesn’t mean you’re a s*** player.
‘I’ve seen it with a lot of players at Man Utd, big names that come and then don’t play good.’
Asked to name any specific players, Pereira added: ‘For me, Angel Di Maria. From the first session, he was unbelievable.
‘He arrived from the Champions League final, being the best player, after the first session everyone said we would win the league. This guy was amazing.
‘The Leicester goal… When he did the dink and the heart (celebration) after… Then you know what happened. It was crazy.
‘He didn’t adapt. Then the thing happened with this family. I was thinking, ‘How can this kind of player not play at United?’ – so the pressure is there.
Why did Angel Di Maria flop at Man Utd?
Angel Di Maria joined Manchester United from Real Madrid in 2014 for a then-club record fee of £59.7m. He spent just one season at Old Trafford before the Red Devils sold him to Paris Saint-Germain at a £15m loss.
The Argentine wrote an open letter to Real Madrid fans that he had never wanted to leave the Spanish side. His wife later admitted he only joined United for the money and described living in the city as ‘horrible’.
Rio Ferdinand suggested that Di Maria was not suited to being the ‘creative force’ or ‘main man’ at United. Di Maria has also cited his difficult relationship with Louis van Gaal and the effects of a house break-in as reasons for leaving.
‘It’s difficult to play for United. To wear the No.7 shirt. It is difficult.’
Meanwhile, Pereira has appeared to aim a dig at United, insisting he ‘didn’t feel loved’ at the club and told he was ‘crazy’ for wanting to join Flamengo on loan.
‘I wanted to play,’ Pereira said when asked about his desire to leave the club. ‘After Covid, I wanted to play.
‘I was going crazy. I wanted to show I was good enough. I was very close to joining Everton.
‘Suddenly, my father called me and told me I had never played in Brazil. I was thinking, ‘Where do we go then?’ – then the president of Flamengo called my dad and said if he wants to come, he can come.
‘I said let’s go to Flamengo. Everyone at United said I was crazy, that I would stay in Brazil and I would never come back to Europe. [But] I wanted to play in Brazil.
‘I wanted to feel loved. I didn’t feel the love I thought I should get. I wanted to feel the love, from my own people, be close to my family and enjoy my football.’
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