Andreas Pereira has sent a reminder to Manchester United bosses, with another star turn for loan side Flamengo.
The 25-year-old has been deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sanctioning a season-long loan during the summer window.
Pereira’s deal with United is set to end in 2023, with no indication that it will be extended beyond that.
That means that the Brazilian will now be looking to secure a permanent move and is doing himself little harm thanks to an impressive start in his homeland.
On Tuesday night, Pereira scored his third goal of the season and in stunning fashion, netting a 35-yard free-kick during the 3-1 win over Juventude.
It was the first time Flamengo had scored directly from a free-kick since 2018 and manager Renato Portaluppi heaped praise on the player, comparing him to legendary Brazilian Zico.
“I’ve played in several games at Maracanã as a player, as a coach, and I remember Zico doing this kind of free kick,”Portaluppi told local media, as per Sport Witness.
“Roberto Dinamite too. And today was a great goal. A plaque goal. We trained almost daily, and we knew that sooner or later the ball would go in.
“We won one more move, one more concern for the opponent.”
‘A plaque goal’ refers to a goal scored by Pele at the Maracana in 1961, a goal so good that a plaque was made in tribute.
Flamengo have a €20m option to make Pereira’s move permanent and there is a growing clamour for them to smash their record in order to sign him.
Before sealing his move, Pereira told Solskjaer that now is the time for him to earn regular minutes and suggested if that wasn’t on the cards at United, he would look to move on.
"I'm ready to play, I'm not a boy anymore. I'm a man ready to take responsibility,” he told TNT Sports. "I'm sure that with playing time and continuity as a starter in my position, I can show what I've done on base, I can score more goals and give assists.
"In Manchester or elsewhere, the time has come to play, to have at least an hour per game on the field, to have the confidence to play.
“I want to be happy, to feel important."
