Luis Suarez has tipped Manchester United youngster Facundo Pellistri to go on to bigger and better things in the wake of Uruguay's early exit from the World Cup.
Suarez and Pellistri featured in all three of Uruguay's games in Qatar, but Diego Alonso's side were dumped out of the tournament courtesy of South Korea's last-gasp victory over Portugal. Given that Uruguay were fancied to progress into the knockout phases, their performance at the tournament has been heavily scrutinised, with Alonso's role now reportedly at risk.
For the likes of Suarez and Edinson Cavani, the tournament in Qatar represented their final opportunity to make history at the World Cup with their country - but Uruguay will be buoyed by the emergence of stars such as Pellistri and Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, who should be primed to bounce to back in four years time.
Pellistri has struggled for action since joining United back in 2020, but he has established himself in the national team and featured in all three of Uruguay's games at the World Cup.
The 20-year-old shared his pride after making his World Cup debut on social media - and received a touching response form Suarez. In an Instagram post, Pellistri said: "My first World Cup. It was my dream to play one and I achieved it. Didn’t have the ending we wanted, but that’s football. So sad we didn’t achieve more. Thank you to everyone who supported! This continues, we will come back stronger!"
Commenting back, Suarez said: "We have to keep going, Facu. You will always have a rematch. Keep on giving yourself to the maximum always."
Join the debate! Do you think Pellistri deserves a chance to stake a claim in the Man Utd first-team? Let us know here.
After appearing in his first World Cup, Pellistri will now look to force his way into Erik ten Hag's first-team plans at Old Trafford.
The highly-rated youngster - who was snapped up Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during the Norwegian's premiership - featured on the bench for United in some of their final matches before the mid-season break but has yet to make a single senior appearance for the Red Devils.
Pellistri did catch the eye in pre-season after scoring in a friendly match against Liverpool during the club's tour of Australia and Thailand, but the winger has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford following the emerge of Alejandro Garnacho.
The Argentina starlet, 18, looks primed for a more substantial role in the second half of the season after netting a last-gasp winner in United's 2-1 win over Fulham just before the World Cup break. Garnacho also made a significant impact in the Europa League against Real Sociedad and the Carabao Cup against Aston Villa prior to the break.
