Facundo Pellistri has been signed by Manchester United as one for the future, rather than the present, admits Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Red Devils moved for the potential of an exciting teenage winger on deadline day of the summer window.
A €10 million (£9m/$12m) deal has been put in place, with United hoping to be the ones to benefit from the potential that exists in the Uruguayan forward’s game.
Pellistri is, however, going to have to be patient in pursuit of competitive game time in English football.
United, with questions being asked of Solskjaer’s ongoing presence once again, are in no position to take risks when it comes to trying to ease inexperienced youngsters into the fold.
The Red Devils are, however, confident that Pellistri will prove to be a shrewd addition in time, with the youngster set to be given all the assistance he needs.
Solskjaer told United’s official website of the long-term thinking involved in snapping up the South American starlet: “He’s a young boy coming from Uruguay. He’s a signing in the tradition of what we do here which is to bring young players in and let them grow and develop and become the player they can be.
“Of course we’ll give him time. He’s more one for the future than now, but he’s exciting and he’s shown some things in training that we don’t really have here. I’m looking forward to helping him develop and helping him settle.”
Pellistri has been given a big billing by a fellow countryman when it comes to the impact he could make in Manchester, with Diego Forlan comparing the youngster’s game to that of United legend Ryan Giggs.
He told the South China Morning Post: “He’s very quick and goes past players easily. He was doing that even when it was not a good moment for the team. He likes receiving the ball in midfield and moving forward with it. Even though he was young, I put him in my team every week.
“He can play on the right but also the left. He’s two-footed like I was and he tries to dribble like Ryan Giggs. I told Ole he has a lot of potential, but he has to keep developing.
“I told Facundo many times: ‘There are not players like you in Uruguay, but if you go to Europe, which attracts the best in the world, there will be many others who are very fast – and stronger than you too. You have potential but it depends on you to improve.”