Andreas Pereira: Meet Manchester United's next wonder kid

Andreas Pereira has been a revelation for Manchester United’s youth teams

It is common knowledge that Manchester United have one of the best youth academies in the world. The youth academy seems to be blossoming this year with players like Will Keane, Jesse Lingard, Nick Powell and the fabulous Adnan Januzaj making waves around England. Never since the legendary “Class of 92″ has Manchester United seen so many youth players shine.

Another name that has emerged is 17-year-old Andreas Pereira. The Brazil-born Belgian starlet was captured as a 15-year-old from Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2011 by Sir Alex Ferguson, who beat a host of other clubs for his signature. The youngster was considered as the next big thing in world football and his performances for the Red Devils so far have absolutely justified that title. The teenager is a gifted creative midfielder, filling the number 10 role perfectly.

Pereira is quick with both feet, creating chances for his teammates as well as helping himself to a few goals. The youngster is a set piece and dead ball specialist and is lethal when he gets the ball at his feet. Manchester United are currently reeling from lack of creativity in the midfield department and Pereira will be just the player they need in the future.

The midfielder also has the qualities of a leader which he demonstrated when he captain the Manchester United youth team in this year’s Milk Cup and led them to victory. These are qualities of a world class player which Pereira is sure to become if he keeps his feet on the ground. The youngster recently scored a stunning 30-yard goal in the FA Youth Cup against Burnley, contributing to Manchester United’s 2-0 victory in that tournament.

Adnan Januzaj and Pereira will form a deadly combination in the midfield when they are given a chance. Januzaj has already broken into the Manchester United first team becoming an integral part of the squad.

Lucky for Pereira, Sir Alex’s successor David Moyes also puts strong faith in the youth and the youngster is sure to get his chance under the Scot soon. The only difference between Januzaj and Pereira is that the latter has already committed his international future to Brazil while Januzaj is still to make up his mind about where his international loyalties lie.

Pereira seems to have made the right decision when he chose to represent Brazil as that country is a breathing ground for talented youngster and the competition for places will do him good.

Pereira may not feature for the first team this season be he is certainly one to watch out for. I expect him to be included on Manchester United’s future Pre-Season tours if he continues to score goals. David Moyes will surely sit up and take notice as he has a future superstar on his hands. Another piece of good news for United fans is that Pereira has already signed a contract this year committing his future to Manchester United for years to come!