Facundo Pellistri has already become a hero at Panathinaikos, £5m fee is a bargain for his new club

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Former Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri has made a big early impact at Panathinaikos.

Facundo Pellistri sealed his transfer away from Manchester United just over a week ago, and he has already played three matches.

It took Pellistri more than three years to play three matches for Manchester United, and he has wasted no time at all in making an impression for Panathinaikos.

In fact, Pellistri has already begun repaying his £5 million transfer fee, playing a crucial role in a huge win for them.

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Facundo Pellistri scores for Panathinaikos

Facundo Pellistri appeared as a substitute last week in Panathinaikos’ Europa Conference League qualifying defeat last week.

The good news was that Panathinaikos only lost 2-1 to Lens, and had the home leg to look forward to.

Last night Pellistri was selected as a starter in front of 60,000 home fans in Greece, bidding to turn the tie around.

Lens saw the best of the first half, with the tie turning when they missed a penalty in the 15th minute.

Pellistri went on to change the game just after the hour mark, driving forward from midfield with a forceful run. After a teammate failed to get a shot at goal, the ball broke kindly to the former Manchester United man, and he swept it into the back of the net with his first touch.

The Uruguay winger’s left-footed strike levelled up the tie, before Brazilian winger Tete scored in the 82nd minute to make it 2-0, and 3-2 to Panathinaikos on aggregate.

Pellistri worked tirelessly for his side, winning seven duels, while scoring his first goal for his new club.

Pellistri speaks after win

Panathinaikos are now into the Europa Conference League group stages, and would have been knocked out of Europe altogether with a defeat.

Pellistri’s goal was vital to their success, and will be financially lucrative for his team. The £5 million already looks like money well spent for his new club.

Speaking to Gazzetta Greece, Pellistri said: “When I came we played Lens there, I had to rush to do everything to go to France, we came very close to a draw there. Today I wanted to give what I can and I succeeded.

“We knew how we were going to play. We had prepared our plan, we prepared very well, we knew their weak points and that if we keep a clean sheet we will manage to qualify.

“Panathinaikos belongs to Europe. We played like it was a final and qualified. When we found out that the match would be sold out, we wanted to repay the faith they showed us.”