Mikael Silvestre believes that United duo Facundo Pellistri and Anthony Elanga would benefit from a loan move away in the summer - pointing to Amad Diallo's spell at Sunderland as proof.
The United pair have struggled for regular football this season, with Elanga managing seven starts while Pellistri has only appeared off the bench. The Swedish winger was reportedly denied a loan move in January, with Erik ten Hag hesitant to lose depth as his side continue to compete in every available competition.
In stark contrast, Amad joined Sunderland on loan at the end of last summer, the 20-year-old viewing a step down to the second tier as an opportunity to pick up regular minutes at senior level. After an initial adaptation period, the youngster has starred for Tony Mowbray's side with eight goals and two assists.
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What's more pressing is the fact he has managed 31 appearances and a total of 2,149 minutes - almost three times the 769 combined minutes played by Elanga and Pellistri. And in urging the young pair to explore a temporary move away, Silvestre believes Amad has provided the perfect example.
“When you go on loan, you have to make it count," he told bettingexpert.com. "So for Pellistri and Elanga, it’s about making the right choice, the right manager, because I think there will be several options. Right now yeah, the game time is limited so a loan option is a good one.
“So it’s important that they make it count when they go on loan and play as much as possible to progress and have a go at starting the following season. They need to have a successful loan like Amad Diallo has been having.”
Thursday's Europa League last-16 second-leg at Real Betis could provide an opportunity for a rare start - or first start in Pellistri's case - with United flying to Seville holding a 4-1 lead, while Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final at home to Fulham may also bring with it a chance for minutes.
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