Andreas Pereira exclusive: 'Leaving Manchester United was the best decision I ever made... this Fulham team is under-rated'

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Evening Standard

·2 August 2024

Andreas Pereira exclusive: 'Leaving Manchester United was the best decision I ever made... this Fulham team is under-rated'

The Cottagers’ Brazilian star discusses his ambitions for next season with Standard Sport after proving his worth in the top flight

Andreas Pereira needs no pause for thought as he ponders whether Fulham are perceived accurately on the Premier League stage.

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“I’m 100 per cent sure Fulham are under-rated”, he says with clarity, in an interview with Standard Sport.

“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.”

Fulham are preparing for their third successive campaign in the top flight, and while finishing 13th last term marked a downgrade from 10th the campaign before, there were signs of improvement.

For instance, 2022-23 saw most of their points come from beating the division’s lower and middling teams. Last term, they achieved statement wins over Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham.

“This season, we have to aim a little bit higher,” Pereira insists. “After two years consolidating our place in the Premier League, it looks different at Fulham now. We need to look a little bit like Brighton have done, aim for that.”

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Pereira joined Fulham in July 2022, calling time on an 11-year association with Manchester United, where he graduated through their academy, in search of more regular game time.

Last season, Pereira played in 37 of Fulham’s 38 league games and 2024 has seen him recalled to Brazil’s national team after a six-year hiatus. The move to west London has paid off.

“I think it was the best decision I made in my life,” he says about leaving United. “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 everyone’s help around me [at Fulham], I achieved a great season. We started the season by losing a very important player, [Aleksandar] Mitrovic. We had to search for the way we have to play without him. In January, Rodrigo [Muniz] came in, scored all the goals and made my life easier!”

Pereira has formed a strong friendship with fellow Brazilian Muniz. The pair might meet up in Pereira’s garden to fly kites after this interview, he says. Life in the fast lane requires time to unwind.

The 28-year-old says of his “big friend” Muniz: “He deserves everything that is coming [his way], because he works really hard. He’s not even shown half his potential yet. This season, a lot of things will come for him. He’s a funny guy, a good husband — I only have good things to say about him.”

Having lost crucial midfielder Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich for up to £47.5million this summer, Fulham have re-signed Ryan Sessegnon and are working to complete a £35m move for Arsenal's Emile Smith Rowe.

“All the players that come have to help us,” is Pereira’s message to Fulham’s summer recruits. “It's very important we sign a lot of players – a lot of quality players – so they can bring the level higher and higher.”

“You can dream about Europe, we should dream of Europe.”

Phone calls with manager Silva swung it for Fulham over Pereira’s other suitors two summers ago, and the pair have had a close relationship ever since.

“He is responsible for everything that is happening in the club,” the midfielder adds. “He is responsible for me coming to Fulham. I will always be grateful for everything he has done for me. I have to show the trust he has in me by keeping doing what I am doing. He’s been, for sure, the most important piece of our team.”

And Pereira shares his manager’s unrelenting ambition and drive to take the Cottagers to the next level.

“You can dream about Europe, we should dream of Europe”, he says. “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.”