Pellistri was able to glimpse a possible United debut and must use it as motivation

Facundo Pellistri will have sat on the bench at Old Trafford on Tuesday night wondering if his number will be called.

United were cruising against Istanbul Basaksehir, and with five substitutes available, there seemed to be a possibility that Pellistri could make his debut … in the Champions League.

That particular dream will have to wait. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gradually exhausted his substitute allocation and Pellistri was not among them.

Perhaps the plan was to send Pellistri in for the final minutes as the fifth, but Istanbul, who retreated a goal and then hit the crossbar, had Solskjaer bring in Nemanja Matic to get United back on track. Suddenly, it hadn’t become a time to experiment.

While that was disappointing for fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the new signing in action, it was the right decision.

Giving Pellistri his debut so fast would have been a nice gesture, but he’s not ready yet.

And it would all be too easy, right after his first U23 assist.

United need Pellistri to consistently perform strongly for the Under-23s.

Pellistri needs to build a catalog of ways that demands You will be given a chance in the first team, rather than one being given as a polite gesture.

The young man certainly came over in the middle of the week. It was so close that it came within walking distance of making its debut.

Now you need to go and use this as motivation to get started and really step up your game and come back stronger.

If United beat PSG in the next group match, the final match with Leipzig could see a lot of turnover. That may be a time for Pellistri to come in, if the team has already qualified.

Pellistri’s debut with the first team will arrive. He was unlucky that it wasn’t this week, but the club gave him the glove.

If he can take advantage of his promising under-23 display over the weekend, he could soon start showing his skill at Old Trafford.