Pellistri catches the eye with Alaves

The teenager is still getting used to European football after moving from Uruguayan side Penarol last year and is making the most of his stay at the Mendizorroza.

He earned widespread praise for his display in a 1-1 draw against Cadiz at the weekend, causing problems with some enterprising wing-play.

Facundo Pellistri attempted [6] and completed [4] more take-ons than any other player on the pitch vs. Cádiz earlier today.

Good to see him getting some minutes under his belt in La Liga. 💪 pic.twitter.com/8mTmDRVTwF

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 13, 2021

Joselu opened the scoring for Alaves with a penalty, awarded for handball, but an 84th-minute equaliser by Alex Fernandez, also from the spot, was a blow to the home side.

The point leaves Pellistri's loan club third from bottom in La Liga and four points adrift of 17th-placed Elche, ahead of a tough trip to leaders Atletico Madrid on Sunday.

Pellistri has forced his way into the side after initially being an unused substitute against Real Valladolid and Barcelona. He came off the bench in defeats to Real Sociedad and Osasuna but has started the matches with Real Betis and now Cadiz.

The 85 minutes Facundo managed in this weekend's draw is his longest single outing since moving to Spain during the January window.

Another of our loanees making a notable contribution over the latest round of matches was James Garner. The midfielder was involved in the build-up that led to Nottingham Forest's goal in a 1-1 draw with Reading.

There was also some praise for young goalkeeper Jacob Carney, who has excelled since joining Portadown on a temporary basis.

Their manager Matthew Tipton told News Letter: "Most opposition managers single out Jacob after our games and I am just delighted with everything overall since he joined the club. I would love him to stay with us again next season and he has really settled in well since moving over to Northern Ireland.

“Manchester United are in contact with me after every game and obviously regularly with Jacob directly, so they seem pleased with his progress at Portadown. His communication is excellent and we are just really pleased with everything about his contribution so far.”