Erik ten Hag has reiterated his belief in Facundo Pellistri after he finally made his Manchester United debut this month. The 21-year-old came on in the 84th minute of United's win over Charlton, his first competitive appearance in two years, three months and five days after his £9million move from Penarol.
Pellistri made an instant impact from the bench as well, as he set up fellow substitute Marcus Rashford's first goal in the 3-0 League Cup quarter-final win.
The young forward certainly made up for lost time with his instant impact in United's first team, and Ten Hag has explained why he had to wait so long to finally get his chance.
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“It was just 10 minutes [he played], but he made a really good impression,” Ten Hag said during a Q&A with supporters.
“He had to wait a long time for it because you have to deserve the game-time in our squad. There are others who also deserved it who didn't even come on.
“He worked for a long time and he proved himself. He showed., in that moment, that he was ready.
“He had some really good actions, he was lively and he got the assist but also [he gave a] good contribution in terms of defending, he was reliable and he took the responsibility.
“I am happy with that performance and I’m happy with his development, we brought him in [to the team] and we think he has a future here at Manchester United.”
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