The 19-year-old will quit Old Trafford in the summer - but who is he and is Louis van Gaal set to make a big mistake?
‘The one that got away’ is a phrase normally reserved for a failed personal relationship but it’s one many football clubs can relate to in their transfer dealings.

Manchester United are approaching three years since they allowed a 19-year-old Paul Pogba, frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities, to leave Old Trafford on a free transfer for Juventus.

The story since is well documented. United have failed to plug a gaping hole in their midfield, a six-foot-two-inch Frenchman-sized hole. Pogba, meanwhile, is now one of the finest in his position in world football.

Imagine the dismay of the club’s supporters to hear that another talented youngster looks set to run down his contract and follow the exact same path to Turin at the end of the season.

Andreas Pereira, a 19-year-old Belgian-born, Brazil-Under 20 international (he plays for the country of his father’s birth), was signed from PSV in 2011 and is one of a number of talented foreigners who have been cherry picked from European clubs and planted into United’s academy over the past decade.

The teenager is the jewel in the crown of United’s Under-21 side, though the class of 2015 is lacking the quality of previous years, with last season’s FA Youth Cup campaign ending in a fifth-round defeat to Huddersfield Town.

Pereira played the full 90 minutes that night, as did another teenager in James Wilson. The latter has since broken into the first team, but his team-mate continues to play in front of several hundred people every other Monday night at Leigh Sports Village.

A technically sound, ball-playing midfielder, the prospect has caught the eye with outstanding goals and quality from set-pieces.

His opportunities to impress in the first team, however, have been fleeting. Pereira was introduced at half-time in the 4-0 mauling at MK Dons in the second round of the Capital One Cup. He hasn’t featured since.

His most notable impact has been in helping as a translator for a number of the club’s Spanish-speaking players, while he is also fluent in English, French and Portuguese.

Though he only turned 19 on January 1, the murmurings of discontent from the player’s camp have already begun to surface after he revealed the details of a conversation with a familiar figure - none other than Pogba.

04:21:00

The Argentina star has hinted that managerial change and his tax case saw him take his eye off the ball last year
Barcelona star Lionel Messi has admitted problems "on and off the pitch" affected his performances in 2014.

The 27-year-old still managed to score 41 goals in 46 games in all competitions last term, but failed his own incredibly high standards as Barca ended the season without a trophy.

Messi has now acknowledged that injuries and his tax case hurt his form last campaign and he is desperate to show his true self again in 2015.

"The truth is that this year I tried to get to my best form as quickly as possible. I knew I was coming off the back of a not very good year, during which I went through a lot of problems on and off the field," the Argentina international told Mundo Leo.

"It was a challenge to change the image that I had given out last season and to be the player I had been in previous seasons again. That was my objective and that's how I came out at the start of this season, really up for it."

The four-time Ballon d'Or winner then went on to discuss Barcelona's form in 2014-15 and their upcoming Champions League tie with Manchester City, stressing the English champions will not be pushovers.

"The truth is that we're in good shape at the moment. Luckily, after the match against Real Sociedad everything changed. Now there is a different dynamic to the team, everything we do comes off.

"The team has a lot of confidence and we have changed the attitude and drive. That's why we're playing like we are at the moment, but there is still a long way to go.

"Manchester City they are a team made up of great players, so it will be a difficult tie. Their objective is to go through because they haven't done for a while.

"It will be an even match-up and the little details will be what makes the difference. It will be a great game. City have reinforced a lot [since last season]."

The first leg of the round-of-16 tie takes place in Manchester on February 24, with the return at Camp Nou scheduled for March 18.

05:48:00

When Cristiano Ronaldo received his second Ballon d’Or at the turn of the year, he let out a deafening, and some would say quite embarrassing, ‘war cry’.

‘Siiiii’ was the Portuguese’s own way of acknowledging that here he was again, stood amongst his peers as the best player in the world. An individual accolade that is the pinnacle for any football player.

It was the right decision too. Ronaldo had been beyond excellent for the duration of 2014, and had the silverware to boot. Only the mischief-making media dared to suggest that Lionel Messi deserved a record-breaking fifth title.

That was at the beginning of January of course and at that stage Ronaldo was still a cavernous nine goals ahead of rival Messi for this season and, by common consent, playing some of the best football of his career.

It was, they said, going to be another cakewalk to Ballon d’Or victory.

But how times change. Just two months later and Messi is within touching distance, in goalscoring terms, of the player he is always compared to. And he is the one now bang in form.

It has taken until the weekend just past for Ronaldo to register his first strike of this calendar year. A penalty against Villarreal on March 1.

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is bang on top of his game at the moment (Picture: AP)

Two whole months without a goal from open play. To put his malaise into even further perspective, Ronaldo has struck 50 direct free-kicks in succession and not scored from a single one. For one of the worlds best exponents of the same, it’s an astonishing statistic.

The split from his long-term girlfriend Irina Shayk has been well publicised but that can’t be the only reason why his form has dipped to such an incredible extent.

He looks disinterested while on the pitch, and has been seen not celebrating goals when scored by his team mates.

A typical example would be just a few weeks ago when he missed an open goal only for Isco to follow up and score. The look on Ronaldo’s face was one of anger rather than celebration.

When Gareth Bale refused to pass to him in an earlier match, he made his displeasure clear.

Fatigue might well be a factor too.

Ronaldo was warned at the start of the season that he couldn’t continue playing every game because of his degenerative knee condition, but has, thus far, steadfastly refused that advice.

His appearances extended to the Club World Cup and a mid-season sponsor-led friendly, when the rest of La Liga had their feet up enjoying their winter break. Surely, with that in mind, it was always going to catch up with him at some point?

In any event, the ‘real’ Ronaldo has gone missing and boy has he been missed. It’s time for him to show his face again. Will the real Ronaldo please stand up.

05:44:00

The gifted attacker has attracted interest from clubs across the continent, but he seems to have set his sights on a move to Camp Nou
Palermo attacker Paulo Dybala has admitted that it would be a dream come true if Barcelona made an attempt to sign him.

The 21-year-old has been in sublime form in 2014-15, netting 12 goals in 24 Serie A appearances and creating seven more.

His impressive performances have not gone unnoticed elsewhere and clubs such as Manchester United, City, Juventus, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona have all been credited with an interest in signing Dybala.

However, the Argentine has suggested he would prefer a move to La Liga over a transfer to the Premier League, Bundesliga or another Serie A side.

"Would I be open to a move to Barcelona? I would swim to Barcelona if they came knocking," Dybala toldRadio Belgrano when questioned about his future.

"I wouldn't even have to change into my swimming gear. After all, I would only have to cross the Mediterranean Sea..."

Dybala has a contract with his current club until June 2016.

04:06:00