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Former Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri has revealed exactly why he left Old Trafford after four years at the club.
Last week, United confirmed Pellistri’s move to Greek side Panathinaikos was permanent.
The Uruguayan has made 13 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils.
As part of the deal to sell Pellistri to Panathinaikos, United included a 45% buy-in clause. Erik Ten Hag’s side are also understood to have inserted a three-year buy-out clause.
Pellistri made his league debut for Panathinaikos at the weekend, coming on as they beat Levadiakos 1-0. He was on the pitch for 60 minutes before being replaced by 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 that he would struggle to get playing time.
“It was amazing,” Pellistri said. “I spent four years at Manchester United. They are one of the biggest clubs in the world.”
“I’ve grown a lot as a footballer and as a person. I have very good friends there. I have very good memories. Now I’m going to try to make the most of all the experiences I’ve had.”
“As I said, Manchester is one of the best teams in the world. If you look at the squad, you see some of the best footballers. It’s very competitive and sometimes you get a chance to compete, sometimes you don’t.”
“As a team, it’s so big, there are so many footballers in every position. Sometimes, finding playing time is not so easy.”
He added: “I played for United and enjoyed it, but at some point you want to compete more. At United you don’t get guaranteed game time, so at some point you want to look at other prospects.”
“So everything happened and I’m really happy to be here.”
The former United player also said the chance to reunite with former Uruguay boss Diego Alonso in Greece was appealing to him. It was Alonso who gave Pellistri his international debut and named the player in the 2022 World Cup squad.
“When a club like Panathinaikos approaches a footballer and shows how much they want him and tries to recruit him persistently, it is a very proud moment for a footballer. Yes, of course Diego’s presence was very important because I knew him from the Uruguay national team. We shared very good moments. When I was at Manchester United, he called me almost every day to explain the club, the plans, what he wanted to do.”
Pellistri expressed his desire to start a new chapter and make Panathinaikos fans happy.
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