Mainoo made his Premier League debut against Everton on Sunday and was probably the best player on the pitch, while Pellistri offered another competent cameo when coming off the bench to replace Alejandro Garnacho.

Ten Hag was facing questions from the press ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League match against Galatasaray and was asked about 18-year old Mainoo and specifically whether he had any concerns over playing him in such a hostile atmosphere as that awaiting them in Istanbul.

“No, we don’t have fear and if players are good enough, they’re old enough, he replied.

“We’re very pleased with his performance [against Everton]. But that’s one performance. You have to do it on a consistent basis.

“But Kobbie knows that, he’s so mature and we are confident he will do it.

“But firstly you have to prove, we all have to prove, you’re only as good as your last game.”

Asked what he says to a young player like Mainoo at this stage in his development, Ten Hag replied:

“Enjoy it, keep the focus, don’t get distracted from things next to football. You have to focus on your game, on your performance, and get the right levels in.”

Attention then turned to Pellistri.

Marcus Rashford is suspended for tomorrow’s match after a dubious sending off against FC Copenhagen. Ten Hag mentioned in the presser that Antony will be back in the squad after missing the Everton game, but he was asked about the young Uruguayan and whether he was able to step up in Rashford’s absence.

“For Pella, he also has to make now a step now from bench player, often coming in and having a very good impact, to starting XI player,” Ten Hag replied.

“We will see how quick the process will go.”

Kick off in Istanbul is at 17.45 GMT tomorrow.

The post Erik ten Hag offers advice to Kobbie Mainoo and Facundo Pellistri ahead of Galatasaray match appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

United are set to take on the Toffees at Goodison Park on Sunday.

According to The Manchester Evening News, it’s possible that Pellistri will not be involved after he picked up an injury during the just-concluded November international break.

It’s believed that Pellistri sustained the setback as Uruguay cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win against Bolivia.

The United winger had to be taken off on Tuesday night, with the national team taking every precaution so as not to aggravate the player’s injury.

The exact nature and severity of Pellistri’s issue is yet to be confirmed.

Nevertheless, compound this with the fact that Uruguay is on the other side of the world and as a result of the extra long travel time, it’s unlikely Pellistri will feature against Everton.

It’s not uncommon for South American stars to be rested during games that come about immediately after an international break, even when fully fit.

United fans will undoubtedly be waiting with bated breath for an update on Pellistri’s situation.

Should the promising 21-year-old be sidelined, he will become the latest addition to an extensive injury list at Old Trafford.

All season, Erik ten Hag has to contend with the absences of key stars.

At the moment, the likes of Tyrell Malacia, Casemiro, Jonny Evans, Christian Eriksen, Rasmus Hojlund, Lisandro Martinez and Amad Diallo are still recovering.

Luke Shaw was also out but the Englishman recently returned to training and is likely to be in contention to face Sean Dyche’s men on Sunday.

Marcus Rashford and Andre Onana also seemed to have suffered injuries while playing for their countries but their issues are not thought to be serious.

The post Facundo Pellistri a doubt ahead of Everton game as Man United’s debilitating injury crisis continues appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

Manchester United winger, Facundo Pellistri, continued his impressive form for the Uruguayan national team in a comprehensive 3-0 win versus Bolivia.

The win consolidated Uruguay’s second position in the CONMEBOL World Cup qualification league table. La Celeste have 13 points from six games and are only two points adrift of world champions, Argentina.

The 21 year old winger has found gametime hard to come by this season with Manchester United, only making seven appearances so far and those being predominantly limited cameos from the bench.

However, the Uruguayan starlet did contribute a vital last-gasp assist for Bruno Fernandes to win the game against Fulham at the beginning of the month. Nonetheless, major moments of contribution have been far and few between.

Contrastingly, the youngster has enjoyed significantly greater action and key moments for his national team of late.

He has already played eight times this calendar year for Uruguay and has 18 appearances in total in just two years. The youngster’s extraordinary display against Bolivia came off the back of a successful night’s work against Argentina last Friday, as reported by The Peoples Person.

Last night was arguably an even more accomplished performance by the 21 year old. Sofascore gave the winger a highly credible 7.9 score. The youngster provided an assist for Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez in the opening 15 minutes of the game to get his team off to the perfect start.

Pellistri showed his throwback winger style by racing down the right wing and cutting the ball back for Nunez to volley home. The action was akin to when Pellistri assisted Wout Weghorst for his only Old Trafford goal against Real Betis in the Europa League last campaign.

The winger was also involved in Nunez’s second and Uruguay’s third of the night, by being heavily involved at the start of the build-up phase for the goal. The United’s number 28 dribbled with the ball, in what was one of his two successful dribbles of the game, and laid the ball off for a cross that eventually led to the ball hitting the back of the net.

Pellistri was credited for creating two big chances in the game and having a meticulous passing performance with 23 from 26 finding their intended target. This is particularly remarkable for a winger, who typically lose the ball more through chance creation. The youngster was able to expertly blend creativity with accuracy in this performance.

The young attacker came off after 77 minutes in Montevideo, his hometown, with another great night’s work under his belt. Pellistri will surely be chomping at the bit to get back to Manchester and try to get some more meaningful gametime at his club. With Antony’s catastrophic form and Sancho’s exile from the squad, it is surprising to many fans why Erik ten Hag has not provided the right winger with more chances.

Pellistri’s traditional wing play of trying to beat a man with pace and skill, before whipping in a cross, would certainly be lapped up by the Old Trafford crowd. Many of the older members will have witnessed awe-inspiring wing play from the like of Ryan Giggs and Andrei Kanchelskis in the past and would be keen to see a similar style in the modern era.

The man from Montevideo will hope he has the chance to show it before he is forced to exit the club on loan or permanently in the near future.

The post Facundo Pellistri stars for Uruguay again appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

One such exchange on X (formerly Twitter) recently caught the eye of Manchester United fans where two United stars threw shade at each other.

Facundo Pellistri and Alejandro Garnacho were the players involved as they called each other out for the other’s apparent lack of skills at the game.

After an account posted a screenshot of Garnacho’s Ultimate Team on EAFC 24, Pellistri took the first shot.

Garnacho’s team consisted of legends and coveted player cards like Ronaldo Nazario, Peter Schmeichel, Eusebio, and Laurent Blanc.

– Alejandro Garnacho on Instagram showing his team on EA Sports FC 24. pic.twitter.com/iV72p7gTQC

— 𝗧𝗲𝗻 𝗛𝗮𝗴’𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘀 (@TenHagBall_) November 19, 2023

However, Pellistri poked the bear, posting that Garnacho still couldn’t win despite such a great collection of players.

The Argentinian wasn’t going to back down after a public call-out by Pellistri.

Garnacho revealed Pellistri’s record against him in games, saying that he was unbeaten “3-0” against the Uruguayan.

Furthermore, he asked Pellistri to “stop spending money” as “it won’t make you good”, effectively accusing his teammate of taking the easy way out by spending money to get better players.

Still 3-0 in games against you stop spending money it won’t make you good

— Alejandro Garnacho (@agarnacho7) November 19, 2023

The playful exchange on X caught the eye of United fans who then began wanting to see a game stream of the duo playing against each other.

Neither player has yet commented on those demands but one thing is for sure, their competitive nature is not restricted to minutes on the field.

They are also equally as competitive while handling the digital versions of themselves!

The post Alejandro Garnacho publicly calls out Facundo Pellistri’s lack of talent at EAFC on X appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

Player performances aside, injuries to Marcus Rashford and Andre Onana make it a nightmare break for Erik ten Hag.

However, some players are still putting their best foot forward, and more importantly, getting crucial minutes at the international level that they aren’t at Old Trafford.

Facundo Pellistri was one such player for Uruguay who engineered a huge upset yesterday.

Uruguay beat Lionel Messi’s Argentina 2-0 away from home with Pellistri playing 88 minutes for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

The United winger was a busy presence throughout as his side put on a thoroughly committed display, outworking the current World Champions.

Pellistri was stationed at his favoured right-wing position and did the “dirty work” diligently, regularly tracking back to help Ronald Araujo at right-back, who ended up being Uruguay’s best performer.

Bielsa used Pellistri as an outlet on the counter-attack, with the United winger attempting six dribbles, successfully completing four.

Uruguay finished the game with just 36% possession, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that Pellistri finished the game with just 24 touches.

However, his disciplined display will do more to impress Erik ten Hag than anything else.

The United manager has regularly asked his wingers to do work at both ends of the pitch so Pellistri’s contribution wouldn’t have gone unnoticed at Old Trafford.

Ten Hag has remained committed to making United one of the best transition teams in the world and Pellistri’s suitability for it looked perfect against Argentina.

The 21-year-old’s game looks to have grown leaps and bounds from his days of being a “head-down and run forward” winger who couldn’t be relied upon to do a solid job.

Ten Hag will hope that Pellistri’s growth at the international level, under the watchful eyes of Marcelo Bielsa gets transferred to the club level, especially as his attacking options look set to be thinned in January.

The post Facundo Pellistri shines as Uruguay upset Lionel Messi’s Argentina away from home appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

Heading into the game, pressure was mounting on Erik ten Hag and his players to get back to winning ways after a number of poor results.

Ten Hag started Andre Onana in goal, with a defensive four of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans and Diogo Dalot ahead of the Cameroonian.

In midfield, Christian Eriksen started as United’s deepest-lying man with Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay alongside him in the middle of the park.

Rasmus Hojlund led the line with Antony and Alejandro Garnacho on either side. Here are three things we learned from Manchester United’s 1 – 0 win against Fulham.

Raphael Varane’s peculiar exclusion

In yet another game, Varane was left out.

Amidst suggestions of rifts in the background and dressing room unrest, it was reported that Varane is one of the players who may be unhappy with Ten Hag.

It was relayed that the Frenchman was not amused by the manager’s decision to leave him out of the game against Manchester City in favour of Evans and Maguire due to “tactical reasons.”

Varane did not feature vs. Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. United claimed that he was ill and that was the sole reason for his absence.

Conflicting reports relayed that the World Cup winner did not train and was not satisfied with his ongoing situation with respect to lack of game time despite being fit.

It was therefore surprising when the team sheet came out for the Fulham game and Varane was on the bench again.

It’s puzzling that Ten Hag gave the nod to Maguire and Evans once more despite Varane’s presence.

On more than one occasion across the 90 minutes, Maguire had to come off for treatment but even then, Ten Hag did not opt for Varane.

Not to say that Maguire and Evans have done anything particularly wrong when they’ve started together but few will disagree that Varane offers much more and is easily the better defender when in top shape and injury-free.

Varane only came on int the dying embers of the game for Garnacho, to ensure United got over the line.

United struggling to create enough clear-cut goalscoring opportunities

A noticeable theme of the game was just how much the Red Devils struggled to fashion enough goalscoring chances.

With the exception of McTominay’s disallowed goal in the opening 45 minutes, United barely created anything for the rest of the half – something that extended into the second period.

Most of United’s chances came about through trying long-distance efforts that frankly, didn’t trouble Bernd Leno who was mostly comfortable throughout the game.

Ten Hag’s men had a lot of possession but it’s disappointing they could not do much with the ball up until Fernandes grabbed the late winner.

United had Eriksen and Fernandes on the pitch, arguably two of the Premier League’s most creative midfielders but even then, chances were far between each other.

As has usually been the case, Hojlund cut a very frustrated and lonely figure up front. The Dane did not have much to pounce on.

He was visibly angry when substituted.

During the game, the away fans could be heard chanting “attack attack attack” in an apparent effort to get the players to speed things up.

United’s forwards have struggled to put the ball into the back of the net this term and while this has been down to poor finishing, another primary reason is that they’ve not been presented with enough opportunities to score.

This is something Ten Hag will undoubtedly be keen to sort out if he is to be successful in retaining his job as manager of the 20-time English champions.

Antony extremely poor again

Antony was easily United’s poorest performer against Fulham.

The Brazilian contributed next to nothing when he was on and it was hardly a shock that he was the first to be taken just minutes after the hour mark.

It has usually been said that Ten Hag’s continued selection of Antony and his favouritism for the player is one of the players’ major gripes with the Dutchman.

Consistently this season, Antony has failed to justify his inclusion in the starting XI and already, he appears to be another player United have wasted big money on.

Even Facundo Pellistri who only played a few minutes managed to do more than Antony did. The Uruguayan registered an assist for Fernandes’ goal.

It’s telling that when the 23-year-old came off, United fans cheered in response to the change made by Ten Hag.

There's a Brazilian winger on the pitch United could/should have signed: Willian in 2018.
United fans cheered as Antony was substituted. He has been abysmal again. #mufc

— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) November 4, 2023

If United are to be a successful team going forward, they can no longer rely on Antony – clearly a very limited and one-dimensional player not suited to playing at this level.

The post Three things we learned from Man United’s late win vs. Fulham at Craven Cottage appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

It is a little ironic therefore that they chose superhero costumes as their Halloween fancy dress theme.

Some players have posted pictures of their costumes on Instagram.

Alejandro Garnacho and his wife Eva Garcia dressed up as the Incredibles, from the Pixar movie of the same name.

Meanwhile Facundo Pellistri joined in the fun with a brilliant Spiderman costume.

Casemiro donned a Batman outfit, while his wife Anna Mariana became a Red Devil, perhaps in a nod to the star’s loyalty to United despite recent reports claiming he had expressed regret at joining the club.

Life goes on and players are entitled to celebrate special events with their families.

However, fans will be keen to see the same players act like superheroes on the pitch rather than just in costume.

United’s worst start to a season since 1986/87 has turned the atmosphere sour at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag’s men being booed off the pitch after the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

For the first time, Ten Hag has come under scrutiny following some bizarre team selections and tactical changes befitting more a relegation-threatened side than one with aspirations of a top four finish.

The players have a chance to kickstart their season again tonight as they face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, a repeat of last year’s final.

Home field advantage could help Ten Hag’s superheroes and a convincing victory would do wonders for the morale of players and fans alike.

The post Manchester United stars dress up as superheroes for Halloween appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

United are set to host City at Old Trafford on Sunday for the Manchester derby.

Ahead of the clash, Guardiola spoke to the press and indicated that Onana is one of the players his side needs to watch out for despite the Cameroonian’s hard start to life in England.

Guardiola reflected on Onana’s sensational performance for Inter Milan in last season’s Champions League final against City.

The Spanish coach said, “Hopefully not [Onana does not replicate his UCL final performance], hopefully we can beat him, but before the game, I always expect the best of the players we are going to face. I prefer to see what are their strengths than their weakness.”

“He saved a penalty in the last minute to help them stay in the race to qualify [for the #UCL knock-out stages] and it’s a good boost for them and for him.”

Guardiola opened up on the rivalry between City and United and explained that the Red Devils have always proved to be tough opponents irrespective of which manager is in the dugout.

He warned that United have the ability to turn it on at any time and instantly decide the game with spontaneous moments of brilliance.

The 52-year-old responded to Facundo Pellistri’s comments that in Manchester there are only people with United shirts and no one with City jerseys.

He said on this, “I will speak with the Puma department, and ask, ‘What happened? Why we don’t have shirts [in Manchester]?”

The City manager also confirmed that his side will participate in paying tribute to United and England legend Sir Bobby Charlton.

Guardiola apologised for the few supporters who took part in offensive Sir Bobby chants and reiterated that those found culpable were indeed handed bans.

“They don’t represent us [the banned fans]. We have huge respect to Manchester United, we prove it. We have a lot of respect, especially for an iconic figure. Tomorrow we will be part of that.”

The post Pep Guardiola issues Andre Onana warning ahead of Manchester derby appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

United are set to host City at Old Trafford on Sunday in what is shaping up to be a high-stakes affair for both sides.

Erik ten Hag’s men are currently enjoying a three-match winning streak across all competitions and have the opportunity to make a real statement of intent by beating the Premier League champions.

City on the other hand will be eager to gain ground on table-leading Tottenham Hotspur, who are currently two points clear at the top.

Last season, United beat City at home courtesy of goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford, to complete a sensational comeback.

Ten Hag will undoubtedly be hoping for the same.

Ahead of the game, Pellistri spoke to Carve Deportiva and took a cheeky swipe at City.

The Uruguayan said, “Manchester is United. You don’t see City jerseys or flags. Sometimes my girlfriend and I go out to try to find them and we don’t see any.”

“Everywhere you go, there are Manchester United jerseys. I’m struck that there aren’t as many City jerseys.”

Pellistri was one of the players who were tipped to leave United on a loan basis in the summer. However, a move never materialized and he stayed at the club.

This season, the winger has made six appearances for the 20-time English champions across all competitions.

He told Carve Deportiva that at United, no one is assured of a starting place and everyone has to fight for a chance to play.

The player remarked, “here there is a lot of rotation, you can play one match as a starter and four as a substitute. That’s something I learned. You always have to be ready, because with so much competitions, you will always have moments to play.”

The 21-year-old said about the derby, “I’m always so nervous before matches, it’s the adrenaline of the moment. The derby and even more so at Old Trafford, the atmosphere is going to be crazy.”

The post “You don’t see City jerseys”: Facundo Pellistri kickstarts war of words ahead of Manchester derby appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.

Manchester United have suffered a turbulent start to the new campaign having lost more than half of their first 11 games.

Erik ten Hag is yet to find the formula in his second season in charge, regularly chopping and changing his first XI.

Facundo Pellistri has featured on five occasions on United’s right hand side – starting twice – in what he hopes will be his breakthrough season at Old Trafford.

The winger is currently on international duty, having broken into the Uruguayan side before he has really made his mark at United.

Pellistri is under the tutelage of enigmatic manager Marcelo Bielsa and, as reported by Sport Witness, is enjoying life under the former Leeds United boss.

Bielsa has given the young man the confidence to take on some of the world’s best with Pellistri praising his tactical approach.

“Bielsa’s strongest idea is intensity, pressing high, having the team very close together, so that from the outside you can see a compact team, eager to win and go to pressure and play as equals on any court and against any rival,” said Pellistri.

The first leg of Uruguay’s tricky double header against Colombia and Brazil started with a hard-earnt point last night, in Barranquilla.

Pellistri started the game but was substituted at half-time of the 2-2 draw, which was salvaged in stoppage-time by a Darwin Nunez penalty.

The 21-year-old is getting used to the conditions in South America which are a far cry from the weather he is used to in Manchester these days.

Pellistri is hoping for more minutes in the glamour game against Brazil next Wednesday and says he will be well prepared for the huge test.

“We have been here for days to get used to the heat, which will be the same on both sides. We have to be prepared, well hydrated and ready for what is coming,” he said.

The Uruguayan will be desperate for a good performance to take back to Old Trafford to show Ten Hag that he can handle the big occasion and gain more trust from the United boss.

United return to Premier League action with a trip to Sheffield United on the 21st October.

The post Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri enjoying life with Uruguay appeared first on Man United News And Transfer News | The Peoples Person.