“Outstanding…” Facundo Pellistri wows international media during Copa America debut

Facundo Pellistri has not had much of a chance to shine for Manchester United, but this has not stopped the media from reacting to a fantastic Uruguay display.

Facundo Pellistri‘s career has not gone as many may have expected when Manchester United signed him in October 2020.

Starting in the academy, many thought he would make the leap to the first team within the next few seasons – However, Alejandro Garnacho has successfully followed this career path, and Amad Diallo is now doing the same, leaving little room for Pellistri in the starting XI.

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As a result, Pellistri has been loaned out multiple times to La Liga, joining Alaves twice and Granada most recently in the January 2024 transfer window.

Pellistri’s notable success has often come with the Uruguay national team. He made his debut for them before starting for United and played a crucial role in their 2022 World Cup squad.

Recently called up for the upcoming Copa America tournament, Pellistri scored his first goal for Uruguay in a 4-0 preparation victory over Mexico a few weeks ago. Darwin Nunez also scored a hat trick, with Pellistri assisting on his third goal.

On Sunday evening, Uruguay played their first fixture of the competition against Panama, with La Celeste emerging as 3-1 victors in Group C.

Pellistri started and played the full 90 minutes, and the South American media raved about the 22-year-old’s fantastic performance as his country’s No. 11.

“He was the great figure in Uruguay’s debut,” Montevideo Portal explained. “Both in the first half and in the second, he was encouraged to constantly face the right sector, to which the Uruguayan team focused its attacks on more occasions.

“He always surpassed the full-back Davis. He became unbalanced with his speed. Additionally, on a defensive level, he helped with important splits and recoveries. The most outstanding.”

Uruguay will face Bolivia on Friday before challenging competition hosts, the USA, in their final group game of the tournament next Tuesday.

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