Fergie convinced player to join by speaking in Portuguese

Matt Stead

Sir Alex Ferguson once convinced Andreas Pereira to join Manchester United by speaking to him in Portuguese.

Pereira joined United’s youth ranks in 2011, moving to the club from PSV as a 15-year-old.

The Brazilian had his choice of clubs after earning a reputation as one of the brightest young talents in world football, but says Ferguson persuaded him to move to Old Trafford with a simple greeting.

Pereira, who is currently on loan at Valencia in a move that “disappointed” Jose Mourinho, says the former manager made an instant impact.

“Suddenly we met Ferguson,” Pereira told The Guardian. “He said ‘hi’ in Portuguese and that was very special to me. I didn’t expect that. I thought: ‘How does he know that?’

“It was only a little detail but it made me want to go to United straight away. I wanted to sign immediately and stay there. So, I did stay. And from then I never wanted to go anywhere else.”

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