Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been handed a rare moment for reflection after a whirlwind start to life at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman arrived at the start of the summer with the knowledge a dramatic overhaul was required with United coming off their worst ever Premier League season. A pre-season tour of Australia and Asia followed, as he ran the rule over the dilapidated and divided Red Devils squad.
Ten Hag handed every United player a fresh slate to impress the new staff, after the wheels came off under the previous pair or regimes. Facundo Pellistri was one of the players, hoping a change of manager brought about a change of fortunes, after a frustrating start to his own stint at the club.
Signed for a reported £8million following United’s failed first pursuit of Jadon Sancho, Pellistri was always earmarked as one for the future, rather than the here and now. But two years on the Uruguayan is still waiting for his chance to shine, having failed to make a single senior appearance.
An underwhelming 18-month loan at Alaves didn’t do much of the cause and it is understood the winger would have been on the move again this summer, had he not picked up an injury. Ultimately he remained at United and will be hoping for an opportunity under Ten Hag.
Regardless of his status at club level, the 20-year-old remains in the mix internationally and is battling for a place in Uruguay’s World Cup squad. And Barcelona star Ronald Araujo has offered his view on Pellistri, pinpointing him as one of the standout players in a star-studded group of players.
“I think Facundo Pellistri is surprising. Obviously we know the quality that Fede Valverde, [Rodrigo] Bentancur, Darwin [Nunez] have… we all know the quality they have. But Facundo Pellestri surprised me quite a bit,” Araujo told El País via Sport Witness.
“Especially since he hadn’t been playing. And more because of the level that he gave in the national team, that he was spectacular. Besides, we understood each other very well on the right wing. Facundo was the one who surprised me the most, yes.”
Once the international break comes to a close and club football returns, United face a relentless fixture schedule before the World Cup begins in November.
Pellistri will be hoping for some minutes in lesser competitions, but his compatriot Gus Poyet has urged the youngster to seal any type of move, to raise his chances of getting to Qatar.
"Pellistri will struggle to get game time," Poyet told Midnite. "It would be good for him to go somewhere and play, because the World Cup is around the corner and he is very important for the Uruguay team because the coach [Diego Alonso] has lots of faith in his ability, he’s a proper winger.
He added: "He needs to find a place to play, like Luis Suarez who is playing at Nacional week in week out, training with the first team and getting game time three months before the World Cup, Pellistri should do something similar."
