When Manchester United completed the signing of Facundo Pellistri on transfer deadline day in October 2020 few would have predicted, less than two weeks before 2023 arrives, that he would still be awaiting his debut.
However, the 20-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Spanish side Alaves, is yet to have been called upon for a competitive fixture by either Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or current manager Erik ten Hag. He has watched games from the stands and the bench countless times, but he is yet to grace the pitch in United colours.
He has been named among the substitutes by Ten Hag on 12 separate occasions so far this season, meaning he will have gone through all of the pre-match preparations time and time again without any reward to show for his patience and determination to make his debut. In truth, it is almost impossible not to feel just that little bit sorry for him.
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However, following Uruguay's surprise World Cup exit at the group stage in Qatar, Pellistri has been back at Carrington since last week, meaning he has had the chance to try and grab Ten Hag's attention while more senior members of the squad have either still been in Qatar or enjoying a well-earned rest ahead of returning to training. It should, therefore, mean he stands a good chance of making his long-awaited debut at Old Trafford this evening.
Thirty-eight days after putting their campaign on pause, United are back in action tonight, taking on Championship table-toppers Burnley in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup. It is an opportunity for the Reds to take another step towards ending their trophy drought, just as it is an opportunity for some of United's youngsters and fringe players to try and force their way into Ten Hag's thoughts ahead of the Premier League campaign resuming next week.
Regarding United's attacking options, Ten Hag will be without Jadon Sancho, who worked on a personal training programme in the Netherlands during the World Cup break, against the Clarets, while Marcus Rashford and Antony may not be risked, meaning Anthony Martial, Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Elanga and Pellistri are the most senior attackers available to him. During the recent warm-weather training camp in Spain, Ten Hag unleashed the same front-three in both matches, deploying Elanga, Martial and Garnacho across the forward-line.
They are almost certain to start as a trio once again this evening, meaning Pellistri's only hope of making his debut could come from the bench, depending on the state of the game and who Ten Hag might need to turn to from his reserve trench. If the Dutchman does turn to the Uruguayan, whose agent, last month, confirmed his exit from United was "imminent", it will be hoped that it is a sign of things to come for the youngster, even if it is only a cameo appearance that amounts to just a few minutes.
But if Pellistri is named among the substitutes and ignored again, it could spell the end of his United career. With Ten Hag unlikely to turn to his star attractions against the Clarets, overlooking Pellistri again would be soul-destroying for him. He is desperate to make his United bow and he might never get a better chance, such is the opponent, competition and the players who could be missing.
If he doesn't feature against Vincent Kompany's side, United must make it their mission to try and offload him in January, whether it be on loan again or on a permanent basis. There is little point in continuing to retain a player who you have no intention of ever playing, especially when he is too good to be kept on the bench week after week. He is capable of doing a job for countless clubs, who would no doubt be alerted by the prospect of him being made available for a January exit.
As he has proven on the international stage this calendar year, even though he, like the rest of his teammates, struggled to make an impact in Qatar, he has plenty of promise and excitement about him. If United are going to create a pathway for him to try and unlock his potential at Old Trafford, it would be in the best interests of all parties to let him go and allow him to get his career back on track elsewhere.
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