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Former Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri has pinpointed what motivated his Old Trafford departure after a four-year-stay.
Last week, United confirmed Pellistri’s permanent exit to join Greek side Panathinaikos.
The Uruguayan made 13 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils.
As part of the deal to sell Pellistri to Panathinaikos, United included a 45 percent sell-on clause. It’s believed that Erik ten Hag’s side also inserted a three-year buy-back clause.
Pellistri made his league debut for his Panathinaikos over the weekend as they beat Levadiakos in a 1-0 victory. He was on the pitch for 60 minutes before being taken off for Andraz Sporar.
In his first official interview as a Panathinaikos player, the 22-year-old revealed that he decided to leave United after it became clear he would struggle for playing time.
Pellistri said, “It was amazing. I spent four years at Manchester United. They are one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
“I improved a lot as a footballer and as a person. I have very good friends there. I have very good memories. Now, I will try to take advantage of all this experience I gained.”
“As I said, Manchester are one of the top teams in the world. If you look at the squad, you will see the best footballers. The competition is great and sometimes you will get a chance to compete, sometimes not.”
“As a team, it is so big, with so many footballers in all positions. Sometimes, it is not so easy to find playing time.”
He added, “I played at United and I enjoyed it, but at some point you want to compete more. At United, you’re not guaranteed playing time so at some point you want to look at other prospects.”
“That’s why everything happened and I’m really happy to be here.”
The ex-United man also noted that the opportunity to be reunited with former Uruguay boss Diego Alonso in Greece appealed to him. It was Alonso who handed Pellistri his international debut and named the player in his 2022 World Cup squad.
“When a club like Panathinaikos approaches a footballer and makes a persistent effort to sign him by showing him how much they want him, then for the footballer it is a very proud moment. Yes, of course Diego’s presence was very important, because I know him from the Uruguayan national team. We shared very nice moments. He called me almost every day when I was at Manchester United , to explain to me about the club, the plan, what he wanted to do.”
Pellistri expressed his eagerness to embark on a new chapter and make the Panathinaikos fans happy.
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