Facundo Pellistri has had to be patient to gain his chance at Manchester United.
Following his 2020 move from Penarol, very few would have expected that the Uruguayan would have to wait until 2023 to make his debut. Two loan spells away from Old Trafford at Alaves formed part of those three years but when Erik ten Hag arrived those familiar stints away from the north west came to an end.
Nobody would have blamed Ten Hag if he had decided to ship Pellistri out again, it would have been the easy option. Instead, despite pressure from the player's agent, the Dutchman stood firm and decided that the youngster would stay in Manchester.
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In the meantime, Pellistri was gaining experience with the Uruguayan national team despite not being able to drop the reputation of 'benchwarmer' at the Theatre of Dreams. After featuring three times at the World Cup, Ten Hag eventually pulled the trigger on the 21-year-old giving him appearances in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and finally, in midweek, the Premier League.
Having had such a frustrating start to his United career, it looked like Pellistri's time with the Reds would end without him playing a game. But, comments from his national manager Diego Alonso in May hint at why Ten Hag has persevered with the winger.
"I believe a lot in the characteristics of soccer players and I also believe a lot in my soccer players," Alonso explained. "I trust a lot in the Uruguayan footballer and in what he can do.
"I thought that the characteristics that Pellistri has could help us a lot with the game that we want to implement. From there, I told him what I wanted from him, what I did value in him and then the one who gave the rest was him.
"He came here when he was 20 years old, he put on the starting shirt of the senior team and he played the way he played… That speaks much better about him than about me."
It is clear from Alonso's words that Pellistri possesses the right mentality to make it as a footballer at United. Ten Hag has already explained how much he values this when discussing his transfer strategy.
"Of course you analyse your squad…what are the weaknesses, what are the strengths and where can we improve? Which players are on the market," the Dutchman told BBC Sport in August.
"But it’s also really important that you know the characters of your current squad and also the players that you bring in…what characters and behaviour they have. And what the effect, or probable effect, they will have in the dressing room."
Ten Hag has assessed that Pellistri is a player who is the right fit for his dressing room and he is now starting to reap the rewards. Pellistri must now push on if he wishes to continue his rise through the United first team.
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