Flamengo are now back at work following their defeat in the Copa Libertadores final, and are meeting their fans again tonight in the league match against Ceará.
The squad was gathered on Tuesday at the club’s training centre, and Andreas Pereira, who made the mistake which cost them the title, was of course the centre of attention.
The Manchester United loanee was surrounded by fans when arriving at the facility, and despite getting slammed by part of the press and on social media, he ended up gaining support from those who went to see him.
Pereira first took pictures with regular fans and was then asked to have a chat with members of Raça Rubro Negra, one of Flamengo’s organised groups who follow the team home and away.
Their president Anderson Macula showed their full support for the Manchester United man. He made it clear that despite their frustration at travelling from Brazil to Uruguay, where they spent five days on the road, this is a time to back the team instead of going against them.
“Raise your head, brother, don’t be shaken. You have quality, you have potential. You are in the biggest club in the world, which is Flamengo. And next year we’ll win it,” he said.
Macula claimed that Flamengo did not lack effort in the final, and Andreas’ mistake was something that happens, and wasn’t due to a lack of effort.
Andreas thanked the fans for the support, saying that the Copa Libertadores title was his biggest goal since joining Flamengo on loan last summer. He also made them a promise to stay for longer.
“You can count on me, I’ll stay here until we win the next one,” said Pereira.
The player’s wish, however, depends on an agreement between Flamengo and Manchester United. He’s on loan at the Brazilian side until the summer of 2022, which means he can only play a part of the tournament’s next edition before the end of his spell.
For the Rio de Janeiro club to sign Pereira, they need to trigger the €20m buying option, although reports from Brazil already claim that they will try to reduce the price.
