Manchester United must find a suitable loan destination for Facundo Pellistri next season after the young winger complained about his disappointing time at Alaves.
Pellistri joined the Red Devils in October 2020. They paid Penarol £9million to sign the right winger, who is viewed as a great player for the future.
Pellistri was shipped out to Alaves on loan in January last year. He made 12 appearances for the Spanish club but didn’t register a single goal or assist.
Despite the loan move failing to benefit all parties, Manchester United opted to send Pellistri back to Alaves for the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign.
The 20-year-old featured in 22 more games for Alaves last term. However, he was mainly used as a substitute – he played 673 minutes, which only equates to around seven and a half full matches.
Once again, Pellistri didn’t manage to help his loan club by notching any goals or assists. It is another unsuccessful transfer which will have done little to aid his development.
In an obvious message to United, Pellistri has been speaking about his next loan switch. He told Uruguayan source Ovation (via Sport Witness): “Right now, I want to feel good again after the holidays, well trained, more than anything because this year is very important both at club and national team level.
“You have to be ready for everything and prepare well. I want to have the maximum continuity of minutes to try to arrive well.“I’m not looking for a particular league. It’s easy to say ‘earn minutes’ because nobody promises them to you, and you have to earn them. It’s a complicated search, but I’m going to try to find the best option to play, show myself and feel good.”
Pellistri then spoke about his struggles while in La Liga. “I didn’t leave Alavés very happy, because I hardly played in any games,” the youngster added.
“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.”
The last thing Pellistri needs is to go back to Alaves for another season. He must be sent out to a new team, potentially in England, where he can thrive and ultimately get amongst the goals.
The six-time Uruguay international is yet to make his senior United debut. He will be hoping this comes soon – potentially before a loan exit in late August – so he can give United fans a glimpse of what he is about.
Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag has reportedly had a big impact on United’s transfer pursuits, forcing club officials to change their minds.