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Andreas Pereira Wants Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Man United for 'Many More Years'
December 19, 2019
Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira has said he hopes Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stays at the club for "many, many more years" after celebrating his first anniversary as manager.
Solskjaer, 46, replaced Jose Mourinho as United manager on December 19, 2018—initially in a caretaker role—but was handed a three-year contract at Old Trafford in March.
The Red Devils went on to finish sixth in the Premier League and have struggled for consistency since then, but Pereira said the team "have evolved a lot" under Solskjaer, per ESPN FC's Rob Dawson:
"We have evolved a lot. Mentally we are more patient, we work for each other more and more and we have more confidence on the pitch.
"It is all the United way we play. On the counter attack. We are very direct and the manager's played a massive part in that. Hopefully we can keep that going and he can stay for many, many more years."
Pereira—who turns 24 on January 1—played the 90 minutes on Wednesday when United beat Colchester United 3-0 to set up a Carabao Cup semi-final opposite bitter rivals Manchester City:
Solskjaer's side are also through to the UEFA Europa League round of 32 and sit sixth in the Premier League, leading journalist Bill Rice to give a fairly positive review of his first year in charge:
Pereira joined United's academy from PSV Eindhoven in 2011 but failed to make a first-team impact under Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes or Louis van Gaal while those managers were at Old Trafford.
The Belgium-born Brazil international has enjoyed a breakout spell under Solskjaer and has already made 21 appearances this season, one shy of the career-best tally he managed at United last term.
He impressed on back-to-back loans with Granada and Valencia in the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns, respectively, but only now is Pereira beginning to showcase his potential among the senior staff:
The United chief has also complimented Pereira despite some recent criticism, via the Manchester Evening News:
It's little surprise the playmaker is such a fan of Solskjaer considering the more prominent role he's played this season, starting in 12 of United's 17 Premier League games so far.
The puppeteer has been aided by Paul Pogba's ankle injury sidelining him in recent months, with Pereira hoping to reclaim his spot in Solskjaer's Premier League XI for Sunday's visit to Watford.