Pellistri reveals dream Man Utd transfer nearly fell through due to his ‘baby signature’

The Uruguayan teenager has opened up on the “stressful” nature of his switch to Old Trafford and his recent struggles on loan at Alaves

Facundo Pellistri has revealed that his dream move to Manchester United nearly fell through due to his “baby signature”.

Pellistri completed an £8 million transfer to United in the summer of 2020, having initially attracted the attention of the Premier League giants during an impressive breakout season at Penarol.

The 19-year-old committed to a five-year contract at Old Trafford, but has now explained how his immature penmanship nearly led to that agreement being ripped up.

What’s been said?

Asked what it was like to move to another continent at such a young age, Pellistri told The Athletic: “Stressful! My transfer went through 10 minutes before the deadline. I left the training ground and signed a contract; I did that via a Facetime call from a lawyer.

“I signed all the papers – and there were lots, in English and Spanish — but then, when I thought everything had been done, I got a call from United to say that my signature was wrong: My signature on the file with the Uruguayan Football Association was my old signature, the one I had used as a child.

“When I got into the first team at Penarol, my team-mates had made fun of me because my signature was like a baby’s. They told me to improve my signature, so I changed from the baby one to a more grown-up one. But my baby one – which was like F.A.C.U.N.D.O P.E.L.L.I.S.T.R.I. – was still on the official forms, so I had to sign all the forms again, with the baby signature.

“All the documents had to be reprinted and signed again. We had to wait a long time for confirmation. United had to ask for an hour as an extension to the deadline. I was so worried because if the paperwork was not right, I could not sign for United but I also wouldn’t be able to play for Penarol.

“My girlfriend kept refreshing United’s website to see if I had signed. Finally, she shouted, ‘Look! Manchester have put you on their page!’ We all started to celebrate.”

How has Pellistri started at United?

Pellistri has yet to make a senior appearance for United, but he did play six games for their Under-23s side in the first half of the 2020-21 campaign, scoring twice.

The Uruguayan was then sent out on loan to Alaves and, despite impressing in pre-season upon his return to Old Trafford, is now back with the Spanish outfit for the duration of the current season.

Jadon Sancho’s arrival in Manchester from Borussia Dortmund helped Pellistri decide to head back to Alaves to continue his development, as he added: “I felt stronger in the first team, I scored in a game at Derby for the first team. It was a very hard pre-season, the hardest I’ve ever had. Physically, you are really pushed, the training is such a high level.

“New players came in, including in my position (Jadon Sancho) so I thought it was a good idea to go on loan again. The best thing for a player is to play, and for a young player, to get experience.”

How is he faring at Alaves?

However, Pellistri has found regular minutes hard to come by at Alaves so far this term, starting just one of their opening seven La Liga matches, but he is still determined to prove his worth with a view to returning to United and fighting for a place in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad.

“I am looking for minutes. I want to play, to start, to get experience in the different type of matches,” he said. “I want to play on the right wing, but I can play on the left. When you come on as a substitute, the match story has already been written, it’s difficult and you don’t always play in your natural position.

“And I want to improve by playing and go back to Manchester a better player and get into the first team, but first I need to get used to Europe and be playing regularly. I’m only 19, but regular playing time is important.”

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