Facundo Pellistri will be spending the rest of the season with Deportivo Alaves, trying to accumulate minutes which weren’t available to him at Manchester United.
Signing for the Premier League club towards the end of the last summer window, Pellistri made the big jump from Penarol and it was probably a little much to expect him to be able to shine for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side immediately.
Settling in for a few months in England before going out on loan to Spain makes a lot of sense, and the player’s agent spoke before the move about how a switch to La Liga was the favourite option.
Multiple clubs came in for Pellistri, and he, his agent and Manchester United decided that Alaves was the standout option.
Speaking to the Spanish media on Monday, the 19-year-old was quizzed on the task ahead of him, as well as being rated one of the best youngster’s in world football.
La Vanguardia cover him talking about his “great challenge”, and quote him as saying: “When you play, you grow up and I look for that path. It is healthy.”
Explaing his playing style, the Uruguayan said: “I like to overlap, assist and look for diagonals.”
On being included in endless lists of the world’s best young footballers, Pellistri said: “Those lists come to me, I don’t look at them so much although it is impossible not to see them.”
Alaves are clearly very excited with their recruit, as is the media close to the club. This isn’t a case of the Manchester United youngster being seen as someone who will play a few minutes here and there… the expectations are higher than that.
