Hearts have confirmed the signing of Manchester United keeper Joel Pereira. Ex-Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho’s comments from 2017 will give Jambos fans hope that they have a great stopper on their hands.
The Portuguese goalkeeper has arrived at Tynecastle on a season-long loan deal. He has switched to Gorgie to gain some more senior minutes.
He’ll need to play regularly to fulfill his former boss’ comments about him. Mourinho backed the 23-year-old to become the finest Portuguese stopper ‘of the next generation’.
When speaking to the Manchester Evening News in 2017 about Pereira, Mourinho said: “We have two fantastic goalkeepers,” the ex-Red Devils boss said of David de Gea and 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 trust completely.”
Mourinho had huge faith in Hearts arrival Pereira
Mourinho clearly rates Hearts’ recent arrival. He might be a controversial figure, but there is no denying that the ex-Red Devils boss is an iconic manager who knows a good player when he sees one.
That’s clearly what he thinks Pereira is, going by his comments from a couple of years ago. The backing of such a legendary manager must be reassuring for the recent Gorgie arrival.
Since that comment though the Portuguese stopper hasn’t fulfilled his potential. He still has some, but with one year left on his Old Trafford deal, it’s last chance saloon for him.
He has to prove he can fulfill Mourinho’s words by impressing at Tynecastle. The Jambos are in need of a hero between the sticks and Pereira could be that man.
Time will tell whether Mourinho made the right call on the latest Hearts recruit.