'Leaving Man Utd was the best decision I ever made - I didn't even talk to the manager'

Andreas Pereira has admitted he departed Manchester United without even speaking to ex-boss Erik ten Hag, so he could secure his move to Fulham quickly. The Brazilian midfielder described the move as the best decision of his career.

Pereira made the switch to Craven Cottage in 2022, with the London outfit securing his services for an initial £8.6million, potentially rising to £10m. Despite Ten Hag's arrival at Old Trafford at the time, Pereira, after years of limited minutes under previous managers, was not prepared to wait around to see if his luck would change under the Dutchman. Following three consecutive loan stints, Pereira viewed Fulham - who face United in the Premier League this Sunday - as offering the stability he had been lacking. It was an opportunity he felt he couldn't refuse.

Recalling his return to England after his loan spell, Pereira said on : "Erik ten Hag, he worked at PSV when I was 16 years old. Before leaving for United, the [PSV] president and Erik ten Hag came to speak to me and my dad and said, 'Look everything is set up for you at PSV, if you stay here you're going to play in the first team.'

"But I'd just been to United and spoke with Fergie. I was like, 'I'm going to United.' That's why I didn't want to speak to Erik because I knew him and I knew that, at the time, it was always a conversation, like, 'Andreas, stay here. You're not going to play every game, maybe one game in every three, you'll be around the squad'. That's not what I wanted, I wanted to play."

The 29-year-old progressed through United's academy after arriving from PSV in 2011, featuring in 75 matches for the senior side. Nevertheless, his Old Trafford career was characterised by patchy form and periods out of the team, with temporary moves to Granada, Valencia, Lazio and Flamengo restricting his chances under different bosses.

Following a fruitful spell in Brazil with Flamengo in 2022, Pereira decided to leave on a permanent basis. The choice proved challenging, as Pereira confessed to questioning his judgement given the honour of remaining at the Theatre of Dreams.

The Brazilian added: "Leaving United, you're like, 'Am I really going to do this? Am I sure?' In the end, you're never 100 per cent sure, really. Sometimes you think stay and have another go. Other times, you have to leave."

A crucial element was his appetite for regular playing time, combined with a longing to rediscover his Brazilian heritage. He almost signed for Everton before choosing Flamengo on a temporary deal. He added: "I wanted to play, after COVID, I wanted to play.

"I was going crazy, wanting to play in the Premier League. I wanted to show that I was good enough, I was very close to joining [Everton] and suddenly my father called me and said, 'Andreas, you never played in Brazil, you're Brazilian.'

"I wanted to play in Brazil and want to feel loved. I didn't feel the love that I thought I should get. I wanted to feel loved by my own people, play close to my family and enjoy football. Everyone at United said, 'You're crazy, you'll stay in Brazil, you'll never come back to Europe.'"

He returned to the Premier League with Fulham, where he has thrived under Marco Silva. Across 119 appearances, he has registered 10 goals and 22 assists, establishing himself as a midfield cornerstone and even attracting attention from Chelsea, who considered him as a potential successor to Conor Gallagher in 2024.

During three seasons at the west London outfit he's been omitted from merely eight Premier League fixtures - with six of those owing to an ankle problem in 2023. He was, nevertheless, an unused substitute in Fulham's opening day stalemate with Brighton last weekend.

The Cottagers secured a point in dramatic fashion courtesy of an injury-time leveller netted by Rodrigo Muniz. Sunday's showdown with United presents Pereira with a golden opportunity to not only reclaim his spot in the starting line-up, but also to show his old club just how much he's progressed.

His audacious decision to bypass Ten Hag and pursue a new beginning has reaped rewards, morphing him from a United peripheral figure into a Premier League regular. As the two sides go head-to-head tonight, Pereira's journey stands as a powerful reminder of the worth of backing oneself - even if it necessitates leaving a behemoth like United in the rear-view mirror.