Huddersfield Town have signed Manchester United goalkeeper Joel Pereira on a season-long loan.
Pereira, 24, has had a string of loans during his time at Manchester United but this may be his final one as he enters the last year of his contract at Old Trafford.
Joel Pereira Signs for Huddersfield Town on Loan
Nightmarish Spell at Hearts
Joel Pereira has had spells with Rochdale, Belenenses, Vitoria de Setubal, KV Kortrijk, and Hearts in the last five years.
He has barely done anything to suggest he can be United’s number one. Last season, at Hearts, was probably his worst move yet, despite being more exposed to senior football than anywhere he’s been before.
Pereira shipped 37 goals in 20 Scottish Premiership appearances, keeping just three clean sheets. He was dropped toward the eventual end of the season when coronavirus brought the 2019/20 season to its conclusion.
Oh, and the ‘Jam Tarts’ were relegated from the top-flight.
Mourinho Quotes
Pereira isn’t a hopeless cause. During his time at United, Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho often spoke well of the Switzerland-born Portugal U21 international.
Most-notably when saying, “We have two fantastic goalkeepers (David De Gea & Sergio Romero).
“We have a third goalkeeper that I think will be the best Portuguese goalkeeper of the next generation so anyone in goal I completely trust.”
No Room at the Inn
His loans before Hearts seemed to go well enough. Though little was strikingly impressive to those watching from Manchester and the fact he’d struggle to be the number one choice at times could also be questioned.
The Red Devils’ goalkeeping department is pretty healthy at the minute, so it’s hard to see a way back for Joel Pereira.
David De Gea, Dean Henderson, and Sergio Romero would all be ahead of him at the moment. With a quality goalkeeper like Matej Kovar showing potential too, there’s little room for a 24-year-old with three senior appearances at the club to be lingering around
Has All It Takes to Succeed at Huddersfield
“Joel Pereira is a player that covers all the demands we have from our goalkeepers,” head coach Carlos Corberan said. “In terms of his reflexes, domination of the box, covering spaces, and distribution of the play – all of these abilities are something that aren’t easy to find in a ‘keeper.
“For me, it’s a very positive reaction from the club, in terms of getting a replacement from Ryan Schofield‘s injury.
“We are looking forward to working with players with potential that allow us to grow as a club.”
Dominic Booth, of the Manchester Evening News, reports that Pereira is likely to be Huddersfield’s second-choice goalkeeper for the season ahead.
Positive Direction
“Following the injury to Ryan Schofield, we felt it was important to have another senior goalkeeper in the group,” head of football operations Leigh Bromby added.
“Being able to attract a player with Joel’s ability shows the direction we are going in and that players believe they can develop under Carlos.
“Joel is a really interesting option for us and fits the way we want our goalkeepers to play.
“I’d like to thank Manchester United for their co-operation and for making this deal possible.”
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