On Wednesday night at Old Trafford just two of the men who were selected in that dismal contest were called up for United’s return to the competition against Ipswich Town. David de Gea kept a clean sheet and finished the night as captain, while Andreas Pereira stole the show with a delightful free-kick which gave the home side breathing space on the way to a comfortable 3-0 victory.
It was a surprise to many pre-match that the Brazilian was the only youth-team regular to be picked for a match which would in years gone by have been viewed as the perfect opportunity to give the first-team squad a rest. Perhaps burnt by his experience last season, Van Gaal decided not to rotate too much and was rewarded with a very composed performance by Pereira.
For those who watched the 19-year-old take centre stage during United’s pre-season tour of the United States, the desire and drive he showed on Wednesday will have come as little surprise. He was the first player to force a save out of visiting keeper Bartosz Bialkowski and looked like the Red Devils’ most profitable outlet for most of the night.
He dragged another shot wide moments before Wayne Rooney’s opening goal but rarely gave away possession as Ipswich right-back Josh Emmanuel did his best not to dive in as the Brazilian’s twinkle toes mesmerised the crowd. The Under-21 Player of the Year delivered a fantastically mature showing which would have been worthy of praise even without his fantastic goal on the hour.
Juan Mata was pulled down just outside the area and appeared ready to have a crack from the set-piece, but Pereira insisted he could do the job. After the Spaniard dummied, Pereira drifted a perfectly-weighted effort just over the wall to leave Bialkowski beaten.
On this evidence he won’t be a youth-team player much longer, and Van Gaal insisted afterwards that he remains in contention for the Premier League and Champions League too, even if competition is fierce.
“He can play 7, 10 and 11, on the right wing, the left wing and at No.10,” the Dutchman told a post-match press conference.
“His competitors are Ashley Young, Memphis Depay, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Wayne Rooney and Jesse Lingard too because he also plays 7, 10 and 11. That's the reason why I keep these players: so I don’t have to keep many players because I have multi-functional players in Lingard and Pereira. But they can play if their level remains high.”
And while striker James Wilson continues to wait for a chance there is another 19-year-old who just keeps getting better and better. Anthony Martial was only given 20 minutes to shine but it was all he needed.
Just as he did against Liverpool on his debut, he came off the bench to slide home a perfect finish from the left side of the area after leaving a defender for dead. Four games ago the Frenchman was being touted as potentially the biggest transfer risk on record. Now he has four goals to his name and is fast becoming a sure thing in front of goal. He’s already looking a bargain at £36 million.
He may have an injury crisis brewing on the left side of his under-fire defence, but Van Gaal has all sorts of options in the attacking department. Martial has given his forward line a new dimension, and a few more performances like this one can surely only help Pereira’s push for more game-time with the big boys.
Forget the MK Dons debacle, the League Cup continues to bring out the best in Manchester United’s young stars.
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