Erik Ten Hag Sees 'Future' In Manchester United's Debutant Facundo Pellistri; Here's What He Said

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has heaped praise on Facundo Pellistri, saying he sees a "future" in the young winger.

The 21-year-old made his first senior appearance for Manchester United when he came off the bench in his side's 3-0 win over Charlton in the League Cup on Tuesday.

The young Uruguayan winger also set up Manchester United's second goal at Old Trafford, which was scored by Marcus Rashford. The latter went on to net a second one a few minutes later as the hosts progressed to the semi-final with a comfortable victory over third-tier Charlton.

Pellistri, who was a part of Manchester United's pre-season tours to Thailand and Australia, joined the Red Devils from Uruguayan club Penarol in 2020.

"I see a future in him. He is doing really well, we will have to see the best thing. His progress is really good," Ten Hag told reporters.

Pellistri replaced Anthony Elanga in the 84th minute when Manchester United were 1-0 up. He needed just six minutes to make an impact as Rashford scored his first goal of the match from a pass from Pellistri.

After signing with Manchester United, Pellistri was sent on loan to La Liga side Deportivo Alavés. He made 35 appearances for Alavés, across two seasons, but did not score a single goal or provide an assist. The 21-year-old winger returned to Old Trafford ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

During Manchester United's pre-season, Pellistri scored in the Red Devils' 4-0 victory over Liverpool in Bangkok. However, he was not picked for their next two friendlies, which were against Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace, giving out a clear indication that the right winger was not in Ten Hag's plans for the 2022-23 season.

Therefore, it was not surprising to see Pellistri being on the sidelines before Tuesday's League One outing against Charlton.

The 3-0 win marked the eighth straight win for Manchester United in all competitions. With Ten Hag and Co. qualifying for the semi-final of the League Cup, it will be only their third last-four appearance at the competition since they won it in the 2016-17 season under Jose Mourinho.

Manchester United also won the 2016-17 Europa League title. But the side has not won a trophy since then.

Ten Hag and Co. have a big game coming up next as they are scheduled to host derby rivals Manchester City on Saturday in a Premier League fixture. A win would put the Old Trafford side in third place in the Premier League table.