Is Pereira progressing?

Andreas Pereira is among the highest rated of Manchester United’s youngsters and is now testing himself on loan in La Liga with Granada. With the help of the journalists watching him in action week in week out, Adam Bate finds out how the Brazilian is getting on…

Ander Herrera has said he’ll be a “very important player for many years” at Manchester United. Juan Mata deferred to him on free-kick duties on his full debut against Ipswich last year. He duly scored. Andreas Pereira’s talent is not in doubt.

But as former United boss Louis van Gaal said following that stunning goal “there is a lot of space for improvement with Andreas” and the prospect of regular La Liga football with Granada this season has afforded the 20-year-old that opportunity.

As United’s old youth-team boss Paul McGuinness told Sky Sports in the summer, what happens next will depend upon what he can add to his natural gifts. “He is one of these players who could be something special in the end,” said McGuinness.

“He has the belief and the ego to be a top player – and, importantly, the talent to go with it. He’s got the running power too. But he must learn how to fit into the team and be a team player. It’s just a case of putting it together and knowing how to play your role in the team.

“Sometimes players with real talent want to show how good they are all the time but when you’re a playmaker, you have to make everyone else play well. I’m sure he’ll learn that and I’m sure there could be a top player emerging when he’s 25 or 26.”

Pereira will be anxious to show what he can do rather sooner than that but it’s been a difficult start to life at Granada. The perennial strugglers sit bottom of La Liga after 13 games and are yet to win this season. No team has conceded more. No side has scored fewer.

It’s not necessarily an ideal environment for a young …

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