Manchester United have confirmed that midfielder Andreas Pereira has left the club to join Lazio on loan for the remainder of the season.
Struggling for minutes at United following the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in January, the 24-year-old spent much of the summer away from Old Trafford.
Good luck for the 2020/21 season, @AndrinhoPereira ?#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) October 2, 2020
Lazio quickly took advantage of the situation by opening talks, and United have confirmed on their official website that Pereira will spend the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign on loan with the Serie A side.
“Yeah, definitely,” Solskjaer said when asked if it was the right move for Pereira. “He is a big club, Lazio. Andreas needs to play regularly.
“He started last season very well and played a lot of games,” Solskjaer said. “You can see the confidence building and you can see him develop but, when we signed Bruno, the position that Andy had was taken because Bruno came in and he had It was. Still impressed, we decided that this was what was best for Andreas.
There has been no confirmation of an option to buy from United or Lazio, but The Guardian say Lazio will have the option to sign Pereira permanently next summer for £24.5m.
Pereira managed 40 appearances in all competitions for United last season, but his role has been reduced by Fernandes’ rise to the headlines. He featured just twice in United’s final 12 Premier League games of the year, both of which came as a late substitute.
Fernandes’ arrival pushed Pereira down the pecking order / Poll/Getty Images
With Pereira struggling to make an impact on the first team, United soon became desperate to get his wages off the books this summer. They had consistently pushed for an exit but struggled to find a buyer, still being forced to accept debt.
For United, the focus in terms of exits will now be on finding homes for other fringe players, with Chris Smalling, Diego Guillot and Phil Jones three of the many players who could be on the move before the transfer window closes. are
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