FACUNDO PELLISTRI has been unveiled by Alaves after completing his loan move from Manchester United.
And the Uruguayan winger says that Barcelona ace Lionel Messi is his icon as he eyes a debut against the Catalans this Saturday.
United kid Pellistri, 19, was sent to the Spanish LaLiga outfit last month following the arrival of Amad Diallo from Atalanta.
Pellistri is yet to make his senior bow for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
But a good spell with Alaves would boost his chances of staking a regular spot at Old Trafford next term.
Indeed, Pellistri hopes he gets his chance when Alaves taken on Barcelona this weekend.
And the teen says he hopes to emulate Nou Camp veteran Messi on the pitch.
Name-checking Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar as another hero, Pellistri said: “Each player is different (but I like Messi more).
“When you play, you grow and I look for that path.
“It is healthy, it helps and the further it is, the better level there will be.
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“I like to overflow, assist and look for diagonals. Those lists come to me.
“I do not look at them so much although it is impossible not to see them, but it motivates me to keep moving forward.”
Alaves are certainly confident Pellistri will come good for them, with club president Alfonso Fernandez de Troconiz telling the Mail: “ We have full confidence in him.
“This is why we really fought to get him in on loan. We really think he can contribute a lot to us.
“We are fully aware he is a young player and he is beginning his European career and he will need to improve.
“But we think we are in an ideal term for him to improve with because Alaves is a small club and I think this could favour his improvement.
“We are convinced that he going to help us have a magnificent second part of the season.”
