Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag could be about to suffer a further blow, with young forward Facundo Pellistri seemingly angling for a loan exit.
United are already dealing with the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo from their pre-season tour squad. The veteran is missing for personal reasons, but speculation over his future continues to mount and Ten Hag is seemingly preparing for life without the Portugal star.
With Ronaldo missing, the likes of Pellistri have a chance to impress in Thailand and Australia. However, with the Uruguay international pushing for a spot in his country's squad at the World Cup in November, it appears he wants more guarantees of regular football.
Pellistri joined Man Utd in 2020, with former Uruguay and United striker Diego Forlan speaking glowingly of the winger. "He likes receiving the ball in midfield and moving forward with it," Forlan said.
"Even though he was young, I put him in my team every week. He can play on the right but also the left. He’s two-footed like I was and he tries to dribble like Ryan Giggs."
Pellistri scored for United in pre-season ahead of the 2021-22 season. However, after finishing the previous campaign on loan at Alaves, he returned to the Spanish club for another year and suffered a frustrating season which has prompted talk of another move.
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"Right now, I want to feel good again after the holidays, well trained, more than anything because this year is very important both at club and national team level," Pellistri told Ovacion (via the Manchester Evening News ). "You have to be ready for everything and prepare well. I want to have the maximum continuity of minutes to try to arrive well.
"I’m not looking for a particular league," said the 20-year-old. He made 21 appearances in La Liga last season as Alaves finished bottom, and admitted to being upset after "hardly play[ing] in any games" and not being given a reason for his lack of involvement.
"It’s easy to say ‘earn minutes’ because nobody promises them to you, and you have to earn them. It’s a complicated search, but I’m going to try to find the best option to play, show myself and feel good."
Pellistri has six caps for Uruguay and was involved in their recent June internationals, playing an hour of a 5-0 victory over Panama. He will be keen to play regularly in order to book a spot in Diego Alonso's side as they prepare to face Portugal, Ghana and South Korea in Qatar.