Manchester United Scouts On Transfer Mission End Up Giving Rave Reviews On Forgotten Player

Manchester United scouts ended up raving about their own player after a recent transfer mission in Brazil.

With Nemanja Matic, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Juan Mata leaving on a free already this summer, Erik ten Hag is in desperate need of reinforcements for his debut campaign as United boss.

21-year-old midfielder Joao Gomes, who plays for Brazilian giants Flamengo, is a player United are following closely and had scouts watching him recently.

But while there, Gomes' performance ended up being overshadowed by a player who already plays for United: Andres Pereira.

According to ESPN, Pereira, who has been on loan at Flamengo since August 2021, stole the show and was the notable performer.

Image: PA

In his latest outing, the 26-year-old scored one and assisted another in a 2-1 win over Fluminense. Gomes, meanwhile, did not come off the bench in the fixture.

Pereira has a year remaining on his United deal after penning an extension in 2019 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

He's been with United since 2011 and has featured 75 times - his most productive campaign coming in 2019/20 where he played 40 times in all competitions.

Image: PA

But just when you thought his time at United was up, it appears as though he will be given a go by Ten Hag in the summer.

With a permanent deal with Flamengo not happening, Pereira is expected to join up with United for pre-season.

Ten Hag been aware of Pereira from when he was assistant at PSV Eindhoven and the Brazilian-Belgian was coming through the ranks.

And it's said he thinks Pereira, loaned out four times by United, has "the energy and technical ability" to be of use for him in central midfield next term.

Image: PA

Pereira has been given the nickname 'Pre-season Pirlo' by United fans for scoring worldies during friendly fixtures ahead of the season.