Pereira will be anxious to show what he can do rather sooner than that but it's been a difficult start to life at Granada. The perennial strugglers sit bottom of La Liga after 13 games and are yet to win this season. No team has conceded more. No side has scored fewer.
It's not necessarily an ideal environment for a young player but Pereira has still been able to conjure up some of Granada's best moments. In terms of chances created, he ranks among the top 20 players in Spain and is the youngest one among them.
Granada's reliance on him is show by the fact that he has created 18 of their 96 opportunities. In percentage terms that's similar to the number of chances that Neymar has fashioned for Barcelona or Toni Kroos at Real Madrid - the top two players on that list.
"Pereira has been one of the best players for Granada this season," Victor Olivencia, a journalist based in the city with
Granada Hoy, tells
Sky Sports. "He's been one of the key figures in the team and stood out even in the many defeats.
Pereira was particularly impressive in September's draw at Real Betis and even in defeat to Athletic Bilbao the following week. But those efforts were some time ago now and managerial change coupled with fading confidence has changed the mood at the club.
"He is compromised," Antonio Navarro, Granada correspondent for local newspaper
Ideal, tells
Sky Sports. "He has shown that he is a talented player but perhaps the problem is that Pereira is too young for a situation as demanding as the one Granada find themselves in.
Pereira in action against Barcelona's Javier Mascherano this season
"With former Granada coach Paco Jemez, the game was more offensive and he could shine brighter. Now that Lucas Alcaraz has arrived, he is required to do more defending as well as creating opportunities and he is not meeting expectations."
Olivencia agrees. "When Granada have the ball, Pereira is the best," he says. "But the downward pressure on the team is making it difficult for him to play well. Alcaraz has asked him to get forward but also to help in defence, something like a box-to-box midfielder."