Atlanta United has signed English left winger Dion Pereira, formerly of Watford.
The 19-year-old trained with the team on Monday.
Pereira made two appearances for Watford totaling 23 minutes. Both came during the 2016-17 season. Periera was named Watford’s young player of the season in 2016-17.
He is the third signing for the MLS champs, joining left winger Brek Shea and goalkeeper Brendan Moore. The team also drafted Anderson Asiedu and Amir Bashti.
Unless he’s loaned to Atlanta United 2, Pereira will occupy an international slot on Atlanta United’s roster.
Two years ago, Pereira was described by Watford academy director Chris McGuane: "When he attacks players and takes players on he can be devastating. He's got a sweet left foot and glides across the pitch. Get him in the right areas and he can thread little balls in, create chances and he showed out there he can finish."
Pereira spent most of the past three seasons with Watford’s U-23 team, where he made 58 appearances.
Periera is the second young player from England that Atlanta United has pursued. During its inaugural season, the team took on loan centerback Anton Walkes from Tottenham Hotspur. Walkes made 20 appearances with 17 starts.
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