Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s advice helped save my career after Manchester United exit

One former Manchester United star has recalled advice he received from Ole Gunnar Solskjær which helped him in his career after leaving the club.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær led Manchester United as manager between 2018 and 2021, and he enjoyed ups and downs during that tenure.

One of the main reasons why fans were so excited to have the former striker in charge was due to his ability to help individual players improve.

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial enjoyed the best form of their careers under the Norwegian, while players like Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka also shined.

One player who was never quite able to get the best of his potential during his time at the club was Andreas Pereira.

The midfielder received the nickname ‘Pre-Season Pirlo’ from the online United fanbase simply due to the level he showed in multiple summers.

But he was never really able to replicate that in competitive games on a consistent basis for Solskjær’s team, and that ultimately led to the club signing Bruno Fernandes in January 2020 to address the creativity issues.

Andreas eventually departed the club in the summer of 2022 to join Premier League outfit Fulham and he has ended up being a key player for the Cottagers since that move.

The Brazilian has reflected on a key piece of advice he received from Solskjær at Old Trafford in a recent interview with Premier League Brasil.

As an attacking midfielder, Andreas often looked like he was trying to be nonchalant in his approach, with little urgency or intensity about his game.

Solskjær was the man who told him that this needed to change in order for him to play in the engine room at United or any other top level club.

“At United, I wasn’t a regular starter who played every game. So I think that was what was missing there for me to really feel 100% comfortable,” began Andreas.

“There were also coaches (who helped me), Solskjær, when he arrived, told me that I had to be more intense, that there was no way for a traditional 10 to play without defending, just standing there waiting for the ball to arrive. 

“It was difficult, so I started to realise and change.”

Now one of the most influential players for a solid Fulham side, Andreas has shown that he can compete at the highest level and Solskjær will undoubtably be happy to see him succeeding.

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