£9m signing Pellistri adds to his United goal tally
FACUNDO Pellistri netted his second goal in United colours while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first team were being dumped out of the Champions League.
The teenager, signed from Uruguayan side Penarol for around £9m on deadline day in October, scored for the Under-21s in a battling 3-2 defeat by Accrington Stanley on Tuesday night.
Anthony Elanga was also on the scoresheet, while Teden Mengi, Hannibal Mejbri and Ethan Galbraith were also among those to start for Neil Wood’s side.
United’s youngsters were competing in the knockout stages of the Papa John’s Trophy against the League One side, having come through a group that included Morecambe, Salford City and Rochdale.
Cameron Burgess’ header put Stanley in front early on, before Pellistri – who recently impressed with a goal for the Under-23s against Southampton – slotted home after a mix-up in the hosts’ defence.
United then took the lead through Elanga, before a late double from Joe Pritchard swung the game in favour of Accrington, who sit in seventh place in League One.
Pellistri’s goal represents his first against senior opposition and will no doubt have sent a message back to Solskjaer.
The 18-year-old could feature in United’s upcoming Carabao Cup quarter-final against Everton on December 23.
Wood recently told MEN Sport how Pellistri was developing at United. “He’s still settling in,” he said. “It has probably helped him being out on the pitch because he’s got a better relationship with the players on the pitch and he understands their game more because he’s training more with them. That can only help him.
“He is progressing nicely but I don’t want to put too much pressure on him.”