Fulham’s Andreas Pereira has described his decision to leave Manchester United as the ‘best decision’ of his life.
The Brazilian midfielder swapped Old Trafford for west London in the summer of 2022, bringing to an end his 11-year association with the Red Devils, where he found playing time limited.
After rising through the youth ranks at the English giants, Pereira signed his first professional contract at the club in 2014, but made just 75 appearances in eight years among their first team squad.
But since moving to Craven Cottage, he has been an ever-present in Marco Silva’s side, playing 37 out of 38 Premier League games last term as Fulham finished 13th, with his form earning him a recall to the Brazilian national team after six years away.
Discussing the move in a recent interview with The Evening Standard, 27-year-old made it clear he has no regrets: “I think it was the best decision I made in my life.
“To come to live and play here, to enjoy my football, to get back into the national team with great players, to enjoy my football in the Premier League, leaving is the best decision I made.
“The time I was there, I really enjoyed being at a fantastic club. But I don’t regret leaving. We [the players in my situation] have this desire to show it was wrong that we didn’t play.”
With Fulham earning the reputation of a ‘yo-yo’ club in recent years, having struggled to hold onto their Premier League status after promotions, the appointment of Silva in 2021 has changed this narrative.
The Cottagers are now preparing for their third successive campaign in the top flight, and some impressive performances last term saw them record wins over Arsenal, Man United and Tottenham.
Pereira puts this progress down to his manager, who he claimed has transformed Fulham into a feared, but under-rated side.
He said: “I’m 100 per cent sure Fulham are under-rated.
“It’s because, in the past, maybe Fulham always went up and down. Now, people are getting used to the different image of Fulham that Marco [Silva] has created.
“For sure, we are under-rated. If you look at last season, we played good football, beat the big teams and can compete with them. That’s shown how far we’ve come.”
Hailing the manager’s role in his personal development , he continued: “He is responsible for everything that is happening in the club.
“He is responsible for me coming to Fulham. I will always be grateful for everything he has done for me.
Pereira added: “He’s been, for sure, the most important piece of our team.”
With Fulham’s recent progress clear for all to see, the Brazilian has challenged his side to build on this momentum, and revealed he has set his sights on bringing European football to Craven Cottage.
He said: “You can dream about Europe, we should dream of Europe.
“With the quality we have in the squad and the manager, we should aim for that — at least. It’s a good thing to start the season thinking about this kind of objective.”
The Londoners certainly look to mean business ahead of the upcoming 2024/25 campaign.
Following the departure of key midfielder Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich for an overall fee of £47.4million, Fulham have moved to re-sign former star Ryan Sessegnon from Spurs, and are poised to sign Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe in a deal rising to £34m.
And Pereira revealed he would welcome any new additions: “It’s very important we sign a lot of players – a lot of quality players – so they can bring the level higher and higher.”
News Summary:
- Ex-Manchester United star says leaving was the ‘best decision he made in his life’
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