Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira has defended the under-fire Paul Pogba and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of a "must win" game against Chelsea.
The 23-year-old, who was a surprise inclusion in Solskjaer's starting team to face Manchester City on Wednesday night, said he was happy to be playing alongside Pogba and revealed his gratitude for his manager.
Pereira will again be in contention for a start versus Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday.
"(Myself and Fred) played in central midfield at the start of the season, and hopefully we can start more games (together),“ he told United's official website.
The truth behind Paul Pogba Manchester United visa reports , he said: “Paul is a world-class player, everyone knows it. You can see it every day, he has experience and I’m very happy for him and very happy that he’s with us at United.
“I’ve learnt so much. Overall, for me, it’s been a special season – I got my first start, scored my first (Premier League) goal and played in my first derby, although the result was disappointing. I feel like I have got better on a lot of things and the manager and the staff have helped with me with everything.
“I’m so grateful to (Solskjaer) that he puts his trust in me, and I just want to show on the pitch that he can trust me in every game. I want to play and do well for the team.”
United must beat Chelsea to retain hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four and the importance of the game isn't lost on Pereira.
“It’s a must-win,” he added. “We have to show we want the top four and, in these games, we have to show our level and show we are worthy to be in the Champions League.
“We want to do everything we can to get into the top four. We have to take each game on its own and get the three points. We have to stick together as a team and work together and try to get the three points in each game.”
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