Pereira Delighted To Make United Debut

Goalkeeper Joel Pereira was thrilled to make his Manchester United debut as a second-half substitute in Sunday's Emirates FA Cup fourth-round win over Wigan Athletic.

The Portuguese stopper made his senior Reds bow when he replaced Sergio Romero in the 80th minute of the 4-0 triumph.

The 20-year-old, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Belenenses in his homeland, enjoyed his brief taste of senior action but hopes it's just the start for him at United.

"Me and my family are very happy," a delighted Pereira told MUTV. "They were watching at home on the TV. I have already spoken to them on the phone; they congratulated me and we are all very happy.

"I want to thank the manager for the opportunity to play here at Old Trafford; it is very important to me.

"This is only a little part of my career. I want to play many more games for this club. It’s just step by step and I will keep focusing and training and see where that takes me."

Jose Mourinho had confirmed on Friday that Pereira would be on the bench against the Latics, but it’s rare to see a goalkeeping substitution and the youngster therefore wasn’t expecting to come on.

"When we scored the third goal, Mourinho just said 'go and get warm'," Pereira revealed. "So I just went and got ready. When you’re on the bench you always hope that you can come on, so I was delighted to get the opportunity."

Entering the fray with the score at 3-0 and the game all but over, Pereira was a little disappointed not to have had more to do, making just one routine save.

"Yes, of course I wanted to impress a little more but just to come on at Old Trafford was amazing in itself so, I can’t be unhappy," he added.