Feyenoord manager Robin van Persie has revealed a ‘bizarre anecdote’ about Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Vitor Pereira, after working under him at Fenerbahce.
Voetbal Primeur cover comments from the Dutchman today after he made an appearance on the SEG Stories podcast.
That included a conversation about the current Wolves manager, who is the current man of the moment at Molineux after guiding them away from relegation trouble last season.
The Portuguese boss has earned particular praise for his man management skills and the relationship he’s built with Wolves’ fanbase, who are more than appreciative of his honest nature and his occasional trip to the pub for a pint of beer with them.
He’s shown himself to be a very personable character, something which has even earned him admirers outside of Wolves.
The 57-year-old certainly has plenty of experience to call on, with his career so far seeing him manage Porto, Al-Ahli, Olympiacos, Fenerbahce, 1860 Munich, SH SIPG, Fenerbahce again, Corinthians, Flamengo, Al-Shabab and now Wolves.
His first spell in Turkey saw him working alongside Van Persie and the striker was left with a very positive impression as a result.
“The manager of Fenerbahçe back then is now at Wolves. Vitor Pereira. He’s a very special guy,” he said.
“I was coming back from an injury, and he wanted to make a plan. In the first match I came back, I got an hour, the second match 75 minutes, and the third match 90 minutes. So, I said: OK, let’s do that.
“I was given an hour in the first match, but I was taken off after 59:30 minutes. The second match was 70 minutes instead of 75, and the third match I started on the bench.
“So, I reminded the coach that we had a plan. Then he said: ‘Robin, I looked into your eyes. Your eyes told me it wasn’t the best decision’.
“He had misread it, but he saw it differently based on my eyes.”
