The 20-year-old wanted out on loan
during the January window but was concinced to stay with the promise of
first-team football, an opportunity he has barely had.
Manchester United midfielder Andreas
Pereira has claimed that manager Louis van Gaal broke a promise to him in
January as he was persuaded to remain at the club with the promise he would be
given more regular action.
The Belgian-born player has only
played 80 Premier League minutes this term and has confessed that being
overlooked by Van Gaal has been a frustrating experience.
"I wanted to be loaned out in
January in order to play more and to keep developing myself, but Van Gaal told
me that he did not want me to be loaned out. He told me to stay in Manchester
because he would use me and that I would play," the 20-year-old said during an interview.
"I told him that was fine, and
that if I could stay and play then I would. He did not let me leave. I took the
decision and now I'm training, doing my job and waiting for him to fulfil his
word.
"Of course I expected to play
more. I think that I deserved the chance. I did well in the games that I had the
opportunity to play, but football can be like that.
"My manager has not given me
this opportunity yet and I will keep working hard, waiting for the chances. If
they've not come this year, then maybe next season, but I'll be ready. I'm very
calm because everyone sees that I'm playing well and that I deserve my
shot."
Brazil Under-23 international Pereira reserved praise for Sir Alex Ferguson, who signed him in 2011, and believes it was always going to be tough for his successor, with first David Moyes and now Van Gaal struggling to meet expectations.
"Ferguson was an outstanding
manager," Pereira explained. "The respect he had in the club was
extraordinary. Everywhere he went in the club, you could feel the respect for
him. And he is very humble, honest and a good person.
"He greeted everyone and it was
funny because wherever he went, everyone was quiet and you felt that he had
that very large presence. I never forgot this, and that's why I think that is
difficult for any coach, not only Van Gaal or Moyes, but anyone, to make a
difference after a coach like Ferguson.
"For me, he was the best coach
in the world. To stay almost 30 years at a club is very rare, so it's almost
impossible for another coach to arrive and to do the same as him, or to do it better.
But this pressure will always exist."
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