Man Utd wonderkid primed for exit to club Ten Hag knows well

Daniel Cabot Kerkdijk

• 8 Jul 2023 17:58 BST
• 3 min read

Facundo Pellistri may make a transfer from Manchester United to FC Twente on loan this summer.

The Eredivisie side see the wide attacker from Uruguay as a suitable successor to Vaclav Cerny, who has left for Wolfsburg.

English media reported FC Twente's interest in the 21-year-old right-footed prodigy, which has been confirmed by journalist Leon ten Voorde from Tubantia. However, there are several clubs in the race.

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"Pellistri is certainly an option for FC Twente. Man Utd’s attacker played at the World Cup with Uruguay. It's about a loan," Ten Voorde wrote on social media.

Pellistri was indeed in the starting line-up in two of the three group matches at the World Cup in Qatar and participated in the last half hour in the 3-2 defeat against Portugal. However, the 12-time international has struggled to feature prominently for the Man Utd first team.

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Pellistri's uncertain future

Pellistri made the switch from Penarol to Manchester United in October 2020 for €8.5 million. In January 2021, the attacker was loaned to Deportivo Alaves and the temporary partnership was extended for another season two years ago. In 35 matches in all competitions, the winger did not score a single assist or goal.

Indeed, Pellistri only made his official debut for Manchester United in January this year. He has gone on to make 10 appearances for Erik ten Hag’s side but has managed only 214 minutes of playing time.

The question is whether the Dutchman, who started and ended his playing career at Twente, where he had three stints, will make more use of the Uruguayan next season. The signs suggest not. He has intense competition in his position from Antony, Jadon Sancho and Amad Diallo, who has returned from a loan with Sunderland.

As such, Pellistri will likely be allowed to go on loan again as long as he signs a new contract. Football transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano reported in April that club and player were in talks over a new deal. The current agreement expires in mid-2025.

According to the FootballTransfers algorithm, the Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of the attacker is €4.6m, but he was as high as €10.5m in November 2021.