Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Is Doing Right by Facundo Pellistri by Leaving Him Out
Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri is still waiting for his debut since an £8.5m transfer from Penarol last month. So far, he has only made the matchday squad once and was not among the group that has flown to Turkey to face Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League.
But that is completely fine and proof that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is refusing to put any undue pressure on the youngster, who is still just 18 and thousands of miles from home.
When he arrived from Penarol, where he had worked under United cult hero Diego Forlan, Pellistri was assigned a first-team shirt number, albeit a high one – 28, and was included in the squad lists submitted for both the Champions League and Premier League.
But, as things stand, Pellistri has only turned out for United’s Under-23 team in Premier League 2. He was on the bench against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League but remained an unused substitute and has not made the cut in any of the four other games since he arrived.
Having been left out of the senior squad again this week, another Under-23 outing is likely on Friday when United’s junior side are due to face Brighton in Premier League 2 and it might be jarring for fans to see a celebrated new signing perceived to be not getting a chance.
The club has high hopes for Pellistri, but leaving him out so far is absolutely the right thing to do.
There is not enough patience in professional football and time is exactly what United’s youngest starlet needs while he finds his feet. He has left his home behind to travel halfway across the world, to a new continent, a new country and a new club, while he is under pressure to learn a new language, gel with new teammates and adapt to new ways of playing and training.
More established pros need time to settle in such circumstances, as has been shown by Donny van de Beek’s fortunes so far, or when Liverpool cautiously eased in Fabinho in 2018, let alone a player as young as Pellistri – he will celebrate his 19th birthday next month.
Solskjaer explained the situation perfectly this week and there can be no arguing with his reasoning.
"He’s a young boy coming over and it’s all new for him. He’ll need a few games in the reserves, of course, to try to find his feet in a new country,” the boss told ManUtd.com of Pellistri.
“It’s been very positive so far and he’s someone we’ll be patient with and we’ll give him time to settle in and get used to us. You’ll see him in the reserves, probably in the next game.”
In due course, Pellistri could be a star for United. Right now, he’s just settling in.
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