Earlier this year, Manchester United’s young Belgian born Brazilian forward Andreas Pereira spoke to his club about his future options. It was agreed that it would be best for him to go out on loan for the 2015/16 season, but while the player who’d arrived from PSV Eindhoven’s academy in 2011 preferred to return to his former club, his manager felt he would be better toughening up in the lower leagues of the country where he makes is living. With Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus among others enquiring about Pereira and United not wanting to lose another emerging youngster as they’d done with Paul Pogba, it was a delicate situation, one United played well by giving him minutes as a substitute at Old Trafford in a win against Spurs – a taste of a brighter future.

Read more: Greg Lea on how the weight of mismanagement is too much even for clubs the size of Newcastle and Sunderland

It was also arbitrary, for United would ship out so many players in the summer, including Adnan Januzaj who is on loan, that they decided to keep Pereira. Louis van Gaal spoke publicly of the minutes the 19-year-old would receive and was true to his word as he awarded him a competitive debut in Wednesday night’s League Cup tie against second tier Ipswich Town. With their priority being a return to Premier League football for the first time since 2002, Mick McCarthy’s side, which was backed by 5,500 travelling fans, were significantly weakened from their last league game.

United were not. They’d lost 4-0 to third tier MK Dons in their last outing in the competition 13 months ago, after which Van Gaal decided that the future of several players was not at Old Trafford. He also told one fan that he wasn’t too concerned to be out of the competition, that his priorities lay elsewhere. That was surprising given United had a large squad who weren’t competing in European competition for the first time in two decades.

Van Gaal has changed his stance this year, saying: “I think you have to fight for every cup and that is what we shall do.”

He played a very strong team and found space for Pereira, who wore the same lurid pink boots with which Antony Martial had scored three league goals in two games.

The decision was vindicated as Pereira, wearing No 44 and starting on the left, buzzed about among United’s forwards. His evening was capped with a fine goal, a 59th minute free-kick which he guided over the Ipswich wall from 25 yards after Juan Mata had stepped over the ball. That doubled United’s lead after captain Wayne Rooney had controlled a sublime 29th minute pass from Daley Blind before scoring his first goal of the season at Old Trafford. Man of the moment Martial came of the bench to made it three, sweeping a shot in time added on past Bartosz Bialkowski.

“It’s very special for me to score my first goal at the Stretford End – I always dreamed of this moment,” said a smiling Pereira.

“He had a big participation in that game,” said Van Gaal of Pereira. “He shoots the free kick in a fantastic way. He’s training on that so that’s why he may take the free-kick. I’m a happy coach.”

“He can play on 7, 10 or 11. That is the right wing, left wing and ten,” added Van Gaal. “His competitors are Young, Memphis Depay, Mata, Herrera, Fellaini, Rooney and Lingard. A lot of players.”

And as United progress on three fronts, Van Gaal has a lot of games to play them in.

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE