Owen Hargreaves ‘amazed’ by ‘old school’ Man Utd player and says fans will want to see more of him
OWEN HARGREAVES has been left amazed by one “old school” Manchester United player after the Red Devils’ win over Real Betis.
Following a tricky first-half, United pulled away from their Spanish opponents to give themselves a commanding 4-1 lead for the second-leg.
Much of the damage had already been done by the time Facundo Pellistri came off the bench for Antony with eight minutes to go.
He made an immediate impact off the bench which led directly to Wout Weghorst’s goal.
Almost straight after coming on, Pellistri received the ball directly from Bruno Fernandes’ out-swinging corner.
Despite Real Betis defenders charging towards him, the 21-year-old dribbled around the outside past two men before sending a drilled cross back in.
Scott McTominay’s shot was blocked before Weghorst pounced on the rebound.
That was the high point of Pellistri’s cameo performance and it left BT pundits and former United players Paul Scholes and Owen Hargreaves impressed.
Asked by presenter Jules Breach why United fans don’t see him more often, Hargreaves said: “I don’t know.
“I was amazed how quick he was. A lot of the guys, like Jadon [Sancho] and Antony, they like to dribble and slow down and come inside, but he doesn’t want any of that.
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“He just [likes] getting on the outside, old school, just sprinting past people. And it’s good to see because when he does that, the centre-forwards know when the ball is going to come in, where the other wingers take a lot of touches.
“Scholesy’s right, that was a brilliant cameo. I think United fans would love to see more of him.”
The Uruguayan winger signed for the club in 2020 and has been tipped as a potential star for the future.
But he has found game time very difficult to come by this season with only four appearances in all competitions this campaign.
Reports had suggested he could move on loan in January but Pellistri eventually stayed with the club.