Man Utd ready to U-turn on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signing who was urged to leave
Manchester United are believed to view extending the contract of youngster Facundo Pellistri as one of their top priorities in the coming weeks.
This marks quite the U-turn from the Red Devils, who at one stage seemed all too willing to part ways with the forward, who was signed by former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. At the start of current boss Erik ten Hag's reign, it appeared as if Pellistri was not part of the Dutchman's plans moving forward.
Slowly but surely, the Uruguay international has turned the tide on his Old Trafford stay, though it has been anything but easy. The Premier League giants were first tipped off about Pellistri when his fellow countryman and former United ace Diego Forlan encouraged the club to land his signature from Penarol.
However, having officially joined United in October of 2020, it took Pellistri two-and-a-half years to actually don the famous red shirt in competitive action. That lengthy delay sparked fears from prominent footballing figures back in his home country that his development was being harmed, with Gus Poyet urging the forward to walk away from Old Trafford for good.
The Uruguayan legend expressed fears that if Pellistri's lack of game time at United continued, he'd lose his place in the national team squad just before the Qatar World Cup that took place late last year. "Pellistri will struggle to get game time," the former Chelsea ace told Midnite last year.
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"It would be good for him to go somewhere and play because the World Cup is around the corner and he is very important for the Uruguay team because the coach [Diego Alonso] has lots of faith in his ability, he’s a proper winger." Poyet's fears, though, were not realised, with Pellistri staying at United before the tournament and still managing to feature in all three of Uruguay's World Cup group stage fixtures before they were eventually dumped out of the competition.
Shortly after the tournament, Pellistri's fortunes at United started to change as he made three appearances in January of this year which clearly made an impression on Ten Hag. With that being said, it is unlikely that even the 21-year-old winger himself could have foreseen how different the landscape would look for him nine months down the line.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Pellistri be getting more minutes in United's first-team? Comment below
Facundo Pellistri is expected to play more of a part for Man United this season (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)With off-field matters threatening the United careers of both Jadon Sancho and Antony, there could soon be a glaring vacancy on the attacking flanks for the Red Devils - one Pellistri is being touted to fill. It would represent quite the change for someone who has yet to start a Premier League game for the Red Devils.
He has been introduced off the bench in two of United's four league games so far this season and is expected to taste plenty more action over the course of the current campaign. Earlier this summer, Pellistri seemed destined for a third loan spell away from the club - that is no longer on the cards as Ten Hag looks to integrate him further into the first-team fold.
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