Manchester United emerged victorious against League One side Charlton Athletic and made their way into the Carabao Cup semifinals on Tuesday.
One player who burst onto the scene yesterday was Facundo Pellistri who made his long-awaited debut and also grabbed an assist for Marcus Rashford‘s first goal.
The Uruguayan did more during his cameo than Anthony Elanga managed in the 80 minutes that he was on the pitch.
And fans were once again left wondering why Erik ten Hag waited so long before giving the Uruguay international a chance to shine despite the Swede’s continuous poor performances.
Facundo finally makes his United bow
But now that Pellistri has made his debut, reports have been rife about the loan interest that the youngster is generating in the January transfer window.
As previously reported on The Peoples Person, the 21-year-old has already received formal January loan offers from both Valencia and Flamengo but he wants to stay and try and force his way in Ten Hag’s plans.
An admirable stance, something that will have impressed the Dutch manager, who had revealed post game that he was impressed with his latest debutant but refused to divulge the next course of action.
“I see a future in him and he is doing really well and we have to see what is the best,” Ten Hag said.
🚨 Watford are interested in signing Facundo Pellistri from Manchester United on loan for the rest of the season.
(Source: @JBurtTelegraph) pic.twitter.com/Ygh7Nlpc4J
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) January 11, 2023
“He’s progressing, also against Everton (in the behind-closed-doors game) I was really happy with his performance, I was happy with his performance in the World Cup, his progress is really good.
“He’s come on and had an effect so that’s the next step. I say well done, better, and keep going.”
Now another club has entered the fray for the highly-rated World Cup star. According to The Daily Telegraph, “Watford are hoping to take Manchester United’s Facundo Pellistri on loan for the rest of the season.”
“Head coach Slaven Bilic keen to bring in the exciting winger to strengthen his depleted squad ahead of a promotion push back into the Premier League,” the report added.
Watford might be perfect loan destination
Interestingly, a move to the Championship would make sense for United as they have gone down a similar route in their development journey for the likes of Amad Diallo, Alvaro Fernandez, Hannibal Mejbri and Ethan Laird.
The club had tasted success in the form of James Garner, who secured a permanent move to Everton on the back of a tremendous loan spell for Nottingham Forest in the Championship.
The club’s current stance is sending players out on loan to clubs where they will get accustomed to playing in English conditions and get suited to the style of play in England.
Another thing that might work in Watford’s favour, as Jason Burt notes in his copy, is Bilic’s “strong track record of developing young players and playing attacking football”.
But if recent performances have shown anything, it is that Elanga needs a loan much more than Pellistri, who could prove to be a valuable back-up option for Antony on the right flank.
United Matchday Magazine – be in the know about everything in red!
Still itching for more United content? Get everything you need right here. For just £1.25 per issue/£3.75 a month you’ll receive unique insights into United, straight to your inbox – before every match and throughout the month.
- Get the exclusive build-up to each match, plus team news, tactics and history.
- Not only that – United Matchday is jam-packed with articles, news, transfer news, puzzles, nostalgia and humour.
- Impress your friends and be in the know about everything in red!
