Manchester United should double the £9million they paid for forgotten man

"Although I had minutes at Manchester United, it was not the amount I would like given the moment I was in. I'm very happy with the minutes here," said Facundo Pellistri in March.

Pellistri joined Granada on loan in the January transfer window and the Spanish club agreed to pay his wages in full. “My whole time I was in Manchester was incredible," he added.

"The experiences I had, I shared a pitch with the best players in the world and I was able to play many important games. Today I'm at the stage of looking for more minutes."

Pellistri got the minutes he was looking for during his loan spell with Granada. He started every game in La Liga except against Athletic Bilbao - he was absent from the squad - but was ultimately helpless in preventing Granada from slipping to relegation into Spain's second division.

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Granada were in turmoil last season, changing managers and sporting directors, but Pellistri was a bright spark in a struggling side and started regularly to aid his development.

He contributed two goals and two assists in 15 appearances for Granada and scored against Barcelona in a 3-3 draw against the Catalan giants shortly after his arrival.

The loan was a success for two reasons: firstly, Pellistri received a consistent run of starts at a competitive level, which he was desperate for, and secondly, United benefited because the loan helped place the winger in the shop window ahead of the summer transfer window.

United paid £9m to sign Pellistri from Penarol in 2020 and although he hasn't developed into a starter at Old Trafford, he's a Uruguay international and still only 22, which suggests United should be looking to make a small profit on the outlay they committed for him.

Pellistri has been unable to convince Erik ten Hag, but he's earned the trust of different Uruguay managers and has seemed to reserve his best football for his country.

Even though Pellistri wasn't starting for United at the beginning of the 2022/23 season, he was given opportunities to feature at the World Cup in Qatar. Marcelo Bielsa replaced Diego Alonso after that tournament and the enigmatic former Leeds manager has continued to give Pellistri starts for Uruguay, and could start him in each game at the Copa America this summer.

The Copa America, which is the equivalent of the Euros for North and South American countries, is being held in the United States and begins on Friday. Uruguay will begin their campaign against Panama and Pellistri started in their last warm-up game against Mexico.

Pellistri started on the right wing and played the full 90 minutes in a comfortable 4-0 win over Mexico, scoring once as Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez netted a hat-trick.

Pellistri's loan with Granada helped put him back in the shop window after a period on the United bench and strong performances for Uruguay will only further boost his value.

United must sell players this summer to raise funds and Pellistri is a sellable asset who could fetch a reasonable fee, especially if he performs well at the Copa America for Uruguay.

Uruguay have been transformed since Bielsa's appointment last year, winning eight and drawing two of his 12 games, which includes victories over Brazil and Argentina.

In November, Pellistri started in Uruguay's impressive 2-0 win over Argentina, who are the reigning Copa America and World Cup champions, which ended their 14-match winning run. He has started most international games with Bielsa in charge and that's helped generate interest ahead of the summer window.

Pellistri was supposed to leave United on loan last summer but an injury to Amad, who suffered a pre-season knee injury against Arsenal in New York, blocked his move.

There was a clamour among fans to see more of Pellistri and he was given a huge opportunity when starting against Bayern Munich away from home in the Champions League. Unfortunately, he did not take that chance and his minutes in the subsequent months were limited.

Pellistri failed to nail down a starting place at United and struggled to shrug off a reputation for being an impact substitute, so it makes sense to cash in on him this summer.

United should receive double the £9m fee they paid for Pellistri - and more if he succeeds at the Copa America.