Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
David McDonnell

Facundo Pellistri reveals Erik ten Hag message after finally earning full Man Utd debut

Facundo Pellistri is determined to seize his chance and prove he belongs at Manchester United.

The 21-year-old winger was handed his first start by United boss by Erik ten Hag in Thursday’s 1-0 Europa League last 16 win at Real Betis. Pellistri’s first start came 893 days after he signed for United, following two loan spells at Spanish side Alaves.

But now he has made his first start, the Uruguay international - who started for his country at the World Cup - is hungry for more. “The manager really trusts me, so I felt that confidence from him,” said Pellistri. “He told me to run in behind, to get the ball and enjoy the moment.

“Hopefully it's the start of this. Of course I'm hungry. A lot of players in the group are really hungry, we have one amazing group. We all push to the same side. Hopefully, at the end of the season, we can win a lot of trophies.

“Being in a club like Manchester United, you always want to be here. So now I'm focused on helping the team to win more trophies this season.”

Injury to 18-year-old winger Alejandro Garnacho means there are likely to be more opportunities for Pellistri to prove himself at United in the coming weeks. “Every player, we are ready to play,” said Pellistri. “We are in a very good, good team, one of the biggest in the world. So you have to be ready.

Were you impressed by Pellistri against Real Betis? Comment here

Facundo Pellistri made his full Manchester United debut against Real Betis (Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

“This is football and, unluckily, Alejandro had this injury and the same happened to me some weeks before. So we have to be ready because you never know when is your chance. We are in such a big club that we have to be ready.”

Pellistri will be involved in tomorrow’s FA Cup quarter-final at home to Fulham and said United are hungry to add another trophy to their Carabao Cup success. "We want to win everything, as the song that the fans sing,” said Pellistri.

“We want to win everything, that’s why we prepare and we train hard. We want to win every game and every trophy we are in.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.