Ten Hag 'prepared' to bring forgotten Man Utd star in from the cold this summer

Andreas Pereira will be given another chance to be involved in the new look Manchester United with Erik ten Hag keen to bring back the Brazilian.

The midfielder has been out on loan at Flamengo back in his homeland after he found minutes hard to come by. Pereira had previously been a regular at Old Trafford but the arrival of Bruno Fernandes in January 2020 changed the dynamic and saw him fall down the pecking order.

But now the red half of Manchester is set for wholesale changes as Ten Hag begins to assess the players at his disposal and put his stamp on the squad. Pereira has not played for the Red Devils since June 2020, heading out for several loan spells.

His latest stint away will end this month and Yahoo Brasil reports that United's football director John Murtough has contacted Pereira to discuss his future with Ten Hag believing he 'fits the desired squad profile' for next season. The Dutchman will soon contact the player personally.

The 26-year-old has one year left on his deal whilst the club have an option to extend that by a further 12 months. Ten Hag doesn't want to sell Pereira and will discuss his role going forward.

The 52-year-old claimed at his opening press conference his plan was to assess the players currently available to him. He said: "I am still in the process of analysing to set conclusions. I am looking forward to working with these players. The season before, this squad was second in the league, so there is huge potential. I think if we improve, if we can work with them, I think we can get out more than what is now the result from this season."

Midfield is an area that desperately needs addressing at Old Trafford. Paul Pogba has announced he will leave Old Trafford after six years whilst Nemanja Matic is also leaving the club. A lack of quality in the middle of the park has been cited as an issue with the Red Devils seeking a return to the Champions League.

N'Golo Kante and Frenkie de Jong have been highlighted as key targets with the latter playing under Ten Hag during his Ajax tenure. Much may depend on any club's willingness to sell whilst United will need to attract players who are prepared to endure a season outside of the Champions League.

Youngsters like Hannibal Mejbri and James Garner, the latter of whom just won promotion with Nottingham Forest, are also options but both lack top flight experience.