Fulham star Andreas Pereira has detailed how he witnessed younger players going off the rails at Manchester United thanks to the money being offered to them.
The midfielder has been speaking to Het Nieuwsblad in Belgium in a wide-ranging interview about his career to date.
The Brazilian is now a bonafide Premier League regular at Craven Cottage after working his way up the ranks at Manchester United earlier in his career.
He joined them as a youngster from PSV and was part of the U17, U18 and U21s at various points before moving to the first team in 2015.
That saw him featuring in the first team as one of a contingent of youngsters who were part of the group alongside the main stars such as Wayne Rooney, David De Gea and Juan Mata.
And Pereira says he witnessed the pitfalls of this, something he only avoided because of the upbringing his parents gave him.
“I mainly owe that to my parents who raised me this way,” he said.
“Because things can quickly go wrong when you start earning money. During my time at Manchester United, at Lazio or with the national team, I sometimes saw that young guys had lost their way.
“You get your first salary, immediately buy a pair of nice shoes. That will later become a something else and that can happen very quickly.
“My parents have always been critical of this, and I am very grateful to them for that. Because before you know it you have lost everything that is important. And the most important thing is your family. That’s how I see it.
“I must add that the biggest stars are often the humblest guests. Wayne Rooney was the example in that respect: no allure at all, acting normally and working hard every day.”
