On The Ball | Manchester United cult figure Diego Forlan gives new Uruguayan duo stamp of approval
- Former Manchester United star Forlan gave the club’s two new signings a glowing reference when asked his opinion by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Diego Forlan received a call from an old Manchester United teammate during lockdown. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted to speak to the then Penarol manager about his young winger Facundo Pellistri, 18.
“He asked me lots of questions about Facundo and I gave him lots of answers,” the Uruguayan tells the Post. “There was a lot of interest in the player and I could understand why. He’s very quick and goes past players easily. He was doing that even when it was not a good moment for the team. He likes receiving the ball in midfield and moving forward with it. 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.”
Real Madrid, Manchester City and Lyon were all interested the right-sided midfielder. Pellistri impressed not just with his speed, his through balls, his aggressive pressing and fast powers of recovery but also because he was considered calm under pressure. He made more crosses per game than any player in Uruguay last season and Forlan thinks he’s going to be a top footballer – if he continues to listen and learn.
Forlan’s assessment was realistic. “I told Ole he has a lot of potential, but he has to keep developing. I told Facundo many times: ‘There are not players like you in Uruguay, but if you go to Europe, which attracts the best in the world, there will be many others who are very fast – and stronger than you too. You have potential but it depends on you to improve.”
United fans should not be expecting the complete article. The average age of a Premier League debut is 22. United have given debuts to teenagers after signing – most famously Cristiano Ronaldo – but that’s not the norm and even Ronaldo took 18 months to find his feet in England.
