Manchester United's youngster Facundo Pellistri has thrown insight into his official debut season for the Red Devils after patiently waiting for two solid years.
The former Panerol winger who joined Manchester United alongside fellow Uruguayan, Edinson Cavani has allegedly stated how much his senior colleagues and teammates has helped him to settle down in his first full season with the Red Devils.
Although, it hasn't been a smooth ride side he joined the 20 times Premier League Champions under Ole Solskjaer's management in 2021. He has gone on loan for two years in La Liga while his fellow signees Cavani and Amad Diallo all made their debuts for Manchester United that year.
The then 19 year old has to deal with unavailable playing time during his first loan stint in La Liga before another frutile loan stint which saw him finish a full campaign without a goal or assists, Although the alleged La Liga team's manager publicly stated he was to be blamed as the youngster didn't get the much needed game time to contribute to the team.
After Erik Ten Hag's arrival, it appears the Dutch tactician didn't exactly know what to do with him as he kept him on bench and out of the first team but he was a regular at the Carrington training center.
Thanks to the World Cup tournament in Qatar, Facundo Pellistri was able to give Erik Ten Hag an insight of what he is capable of after featuring for Uruguaya. A closed door friendly against Everton prior the return of domestic football forced Erik Ten Hag to hand the 21 year old his official Manchester United debut in January against Charlton Athletic.
The winger came off bench and assisted Marcus Rashford to ensure that Erik Ten Hag's side won comfortably with a 3-0 scoreline, an experience Pellistri admitted will stay forever in his family's memory.
"Yes, it was incredible. Making your debut is amazing," he told manutd.com
"But sometimes, of course, you can play only eight or 10 minutes and sometimes you may not touch the ball, but, in that case, I touched the ball and I could assist Marcus [Rashford]. So it was a perfect night. And I remember it. Me and my family remember that night.”
The winger further went on to make his Europa League, Premier League and FA Cup debuts, of which he made massive impressions on the fans with his performances on the pitch.
After so many set backs and injuries the youngster confirmed his participation in the 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar with Uruguaya helped boost his confidence while he as well worked on his fitness.
“Yes, of course. Against Atletico, I suffered an injury in my ankle (during Manchester United's preseason tour)," he stated.
"And of course, it was almost at the start of the season. So that is hard, but we are exposed to that. We play football, so injuries are all the time there. I focused on the recovery with the physios and the medical staff and, well, I'm now fit.”
"Yes, it was incredible. Playing a World Cup, also at my age, is something unbelievable. To play for your country is unbelievable. Imagine playing a World Cup for your country. As you said, it was in the middle of the year, so I was recovering also from my ankle injury. Luckily, I could go to the World Cup and it helped me to get more experience.”
"Yes, of course. Coming back to a club like United is incredible. It was a long season full of matches. I could participate in some of them. And yes, if I look back on the season, it was a season where I gained a different experience and I was involved in different types of environments.”
Facundo Pellistri's participation in a handful of Man United's cup games means he was an essential player as they finished the season as Carabao Cup champions, but the winger claimed himself and the team are looking forward for more before praising Manchester United's fans for their fantastic support.
"Incredible, because it was a competition that we won, and I have my medal at home. So I'm really proud of that moment. And we are looking forward for the next trophy.”
"The support Manchester United fans give us all the time is incredible and they are amazing fans. To play at Old Trafford is something fantastic, so that's why I was happy playing the last minutes of the game, because I wanted to play in Old Trafford with all the crowd and the fans, just to say thank you to them. Part of this season and part of the success, as the manager said, is for them and they help to achieve all that.”
Facundo Pellistri admitted he has learnt alot under Erik Ten Hag and that his Man United's teammates especially Gernacho has helped him settle into the dressing room.
"Yes. Erik is a great manager. He’s taught us a lot of things, different ways of playing. We prepare [for] every match differently. Of course, we have our same style, but we have to change some things depending on the rival. And, of course, you learn a lot of things. And that's why I told you that, this season, I learned a lot.”
"We have a very big staff, a lot of coaches, and all of them are very important, because all of them have their specific roles and they all taught us different things. So, yes, they are all very important and I learned a lot from them.”
“We have a very nice group. All of them help us in different ways. And, of course, I am more with the guys who speak Spanish because of the language. And yes, they help me a lot: Bruno [Fernandes], Casemiro, [David] De Gea and Licha [Lisandro Martinez] also. And I am also with Garna [Alejandro Garnacho] and we learn together from all the experienced players. And as I told you, the group is a very good group. And I think that's also a reason for all the things we achieve this season.”