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Facundo Pellistri made his long-awaited debut for Manchester United during their 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday. The 21-year-old came off the bench to set up Marcus Rashford's second goal and make his mark at Old Trafford.
Since joining the Red Devils from Uruguayan side Penarol in the summer of 2020, Pellistri hasn’t been lucky enough to enjoy stability in England.
Injuries and successive loan moves to Spanish side Deportivo Alaves kept him away from the eyes of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick during their spells in charge, but that has changed under new manager Erik ten Hag.
The Dutch tactician included Pellistri in his squad for the pre-season. The youngster has had to be patient for a chance to make his competitive debut, and he grabbed his opportunity with both hands when he was introduced against Charlton.
An impactful cameo for Facundo Pellistri
It’s no coincidence that many Manchester United players were praised following the team’s 3-0 win over Charlton. Marcus Rashford continued his impressive form while Casemiro delivered another masterclass in the middle of the park. Alejandro Garnacho was also a lively presence throughout.
Meanwhile, Facundo Pellistri was among the top Twitter trends despite only playing for six minutes.
The winger replaced Anthony Elanga in the 85th minute and went ahead to set up Rashford for the third goal of the game. He also brought more energy to the right flank, occasionally cutting in and providing width.
Although he enjoyed just a few minutes on the pitch, Pellistri’s quality was evident as he was more impactful than Elanga, who struggled for much of the game.
Facundo Pellistri shows why he deserves to play more
Manchester United are stacked with options on their flanks. Garnacho, Rashford, Antony, Elanga and even Martial can all play there, which makes the position the most competitive — considering that Jadon Sancho will also return soon.
However, Facundo Pellistri showed against Charlton that he deserves more playing time. This is a player who was signed with great potential but has had to wait over two and a half years to make his debut for the Red Devils.
It is no surprise that he is highly rated in Uruguay and was a starter during his country’s World Cup campaign in Qatar. The reality is that Pellistri is still far from being a starter at United, but he has shown flashes of what he could add to the team.
Thankfully, Ten Hag has noticed his impressive cameo appearance. The former Ajax boss told Sky Sports after the game against Charlton:
"He's [Pellistri] progressing, also against Everton [in the behind-closed-doors game] I was really happy with his performance, I was happy with his performance in the World Cup. His progress is really good. He's come on and had an effect so that's the next step. I say well done, better, and keep going."
If there’s one thing Ten Hag has shown since becoming United’s manager, it’s that players will play based on merit. Facundo Pellistri certainly has a lot of work to do to remain in the first team, but he has at least earned the right to more minutes.
