Man Utd's broken promise after refusing to pay release clause for Facundo Pellistri

Facundo Pellistri had a lot of excitement attached to him when he joined Manchester United from Uruguayan side Penarol in October 2020, but it has not gone to plan

Facundo Pellistri arrived at Manchester United with plenty of hype behind him – but could leave this summer having failed to live up to it.

Pellistri joined United in a £7.65million transfer from Uruguayan side Penarol in October 2020. The young winger signed a five-year contract but has struggled to establish himself and is currently out on loan in Granada, his third since joining United.

Now 22 years old, he still has another year on his United deal, but it is looking increasingly unlikely that his future is at Old Trafford. New owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will overhaul the United squad in the summer transfer window and wants to reduce the number of fringe players on the books.

Pellistri has one goal and two assists in seven appearances for Granada, whom he joined in January, and will be hoping to earn a permanent move this summer. If that does come to pass then he can reflect upon a broken promise from his early days at United.

Despite having only made 37 first-team appearances in Uruguay for Penarol, it was claimed that Pellistri was destined for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad upon arrival in Manchester. Evaristo Gonzalez, the secretary at Penarol, said at the time that United promised he would go "straight into the first team."

United were so keen to land Pellistri that Gonzalez told Uruguayan outlet Referi: "In the talks with Manchester, at one point they told me: 'Due to the club's policy we don't pay for release clauses so we send the money to the club directly and you fix that problem."

While Pellistri has made 24 first-team appearances for United and recorded two assists, his time at the club has been defined by frustration. It took him two years and three months to make his debut and he was twice sent out to Alaves on loan before landing at Granada in January.

That is despite him making it clear that he wants to stay with United and push for a place in the side. Speaking on the pre-season tour of Thailand and Australia before the 2022/23 campaign, he explained: “I want to have the maximum continuity of minutes to try to arrive well.

"I’m not looking for a particular league. 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 is clearly highly rated in his home country, with Uruguay handing him 19 caps already. After moving to Granada, he enjoyed a stand-out performance on February 11, scoring and assisting in a 3-3 draw with Barcelona. He will hope he can replicate such performances and catch the eye of clubs looking for wingers in the summer transfer window.

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