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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer faces a dilemma with new signing Facu Pellistri after promising him first-team opportunities when he signed for the club.
The Red Devils signed the 18-year-old from Uruguayan Peñarol on the deadline and immediately included him in the first team squad, assigning him the jersey with the number 28.
The winger was also included in United’s Champions League call-up and was on the bench for the famous 2-1 win against PSG on October 20.
However, three days later, Pellistri was playing for the U23 in their 2-1 win over Everton, and Solskjaer admitted ‘He’s a kid coming and everything is new to him … He’ll need some games in the Reserves, Of course. Of course, to try to find your feet in a new country.
Pellistri did not appear in the next U23 match against Brighton.
United’s youth are in action at Monday’s EFL trophy against Morecambe, but it is unclear if the Uruguayan will participate.
The problem Solskjaer has is what to do next to bring the player to the level of the first team. A loan move in January would probably be the most logical next step, but it would mean Solskjaer broke the promise he made to Pellistri when he signed him.
Staying in the U23 with some first-team substitute appearances would hold the promise to some extent, but with the normal rotation employed to make sure everyone at the U23 level has some playing time, it will limit Pellistri considerably in terms of that playing time and the football level in which you are asked to participate.
It also raises the question of why United paid the hefty € 8.5 million for a teenager if he was not yet good enough to join the senior team.
January will also see the rival of another young aspiring to the right square, Atalanta’s Amad Diallo. Also just 18 years old, United invested even more in Diallo: 21 million euros. If Diallo has opportunities on the senior team, it will further limit Pellistri’s opportunities.
It seems inevitable that the coach will be forced to break his promise and send the Uruguayan on loan in January. This is not ideal for a young man who has just settled in Manchester three months before being relocated again.
The situation suggests that there was a lack of forward-thinking or clear strategy and planning when the two right-wingers were bought in on the same day to fill a void that should have been filled by a more established star like Jadon Sancho or Ousmane Dembele. .
United have had some world-class goalkeepers over the years and some entertaining as well. Take our quiz below to find out how much you know about United’s number 1s, past and present.
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