Andreas Pereira has become the second former Manchester United star to reveal he avoided talks with Erik ten Hag over the summer to ensure he left Old Trafford.
The Brazilian ended his 11-year stay at United, during which he made 75 senior appearances, as he sealed a £10m switch to Fulham in July.
Pereira has thrived in his new surroundings, playing a key role for Marco Silva’s newly promoted side, and will return to United for the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday.
Ahead of the clash, Pereira has revealed that he purposefully avoided a sit-down with Ten Hag as he had already made up his mind that he needed to leave the club.
Pereira told ESPN: “I didn’t speak with Ten Hag. I know him because I worked with him at PSV but I was determined in my head and maybe if I spoke with the manager again I would stay. In my head I was thinking ‘I need to go, I need to feel confident and play’ and that’s what I did.
“At United I had a lot of memories; good memories, bad memories. It’s been 10 years at the club. I arrived when I was 16 so, you know, a young boy. It was an amazing ride but I got to the stage where I thought maybe it was best not to stay. I wanted to feel more loved and I wanted to play every game. What Fulham offered me and what [manager] Marco [Silva] offered me, it was the perfect opportunity.”
Dean Henderson admitted earlier in the season that he too wanted out of United before Ten Hag’s arrival, though he will return to the Carrington training ground at the end of the season following his loan stint with Nottingham Forest.
“I didn’t want the manager to come in and be able to see me in training. I knew he’d probably want to keep me, so I tried to do it all before I left for the season. I told all the hierarchy I need to go and play football, I don’t want to be here playing second fiddle,” he told talkSPORT.
“It was all planned out. I was almost gone before the manager came through the door and I haven’t spoken to him since. To be honest with you, it’s probably been the toughest 12 months of my career. It’s been tough, it’s been hard and I’m so happy I’ve got out the other end of it. I’m so excited to be here and ready to go.”
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