Facundo Pellistri will have two leagues to choose from for his next move after Erik ten Hag reportedly told the Manchester United youngster he can leave on loan.
Manchester United signed Pellistri from Penarol in October 2020, paying £7.65million to bring the winger to Europe. However, he is yet to make his senior debut for the club after spending the last 18 months on loan at Alaves.
Pellistri made 34 appearances for the Spanish outfit but didn’t manage a single goal or assist. It was a troublesome transfer for the 20-year-old and didn’t do much to aid his development.
Earlier this month, Pellistri effectively said he didn’t want to re-join Alaves by revealing the problems he had with the loan move.
“I didn’t leave Alaves very happy, because I hardly played in any games,” the starlet said.
“I left with a wonderful club, a wonderful group of people, a wonderful medical team and a wonderful staff. In that sense, even though it was complicated in terms of football, that whole period in Vitoria was wonderful.
“They never gave me a reason, but well? Every manager is different. Maybe they liked different things to what I could give them, and that’s totally respectable.
“It’s up to the coach to decide. I always gave my best, I trained 100%, and I was ready to play. The balance is negative. I would have liked to play more.”
Facundo Pellistri learns Ten Hag stance
Pellistri is with Manchester United for their pre-season camp. He even got on the scoresheet in the Red Devils’ 4-0 victory over Liverpool last week.
However, the Uruguayan hasn’t played in the two friendlies since then and is now free to leave United on loan.
According to ESPN Uruguay, Ten Hag has told Pellistri he isn’t part of his first-team plans for the 2022-23 campaign. As such, the wide man can continue his development elsewhere by finding a temporary club.
And Pellistri has two options. He can move to Serie A or the Primeira Liga, as clubs from Italy and Portugal apparently wish to sign him.
ESPN do not reveal which teams hold an interest. But these sides will soon make contact with his agent, giving Pellistri some thinking to do.
Pellistri doesn’t mind where he goes next, as long as his new team gives him plenty of game time. This is beneficial for United too, as it means he will improve quicker and his transfer value will rise accordingly.
Meanwhile, a reporter has provided an update on United’s transfer links with Ajax star Antony.