The Uruguayans on twitter seem to very happy with him. From what I read they say he's a nightmare for defenders due to his high intensity both in and out of possession.
We had a bit of an Ole November with three straight defeats and were facing flunking out of the World Cup.
Changed manager, he brought around some changes and after three wins on the trot are now through with no need for playoffs.
The kid has delivered exactly what was required of him, under immense pressure, while not getting any minutes with that shithouse relegation team.
He can improve on end product, we already knew that, but ultimately it's the underlying quality, resilience and commitment that stand out. Kid's got spunk.
He has a very unique style from the on and off occasions I saw him play and has that relentless streak to him going forward defying his stature and physique, with glue like quality so to speak on the ball...
To be fair to him he was left isolated a lot and dead ended, but he did go forward.
That's precisely the reason he got called up. New manager randomly calls up Pellistri in January, to everyone's surprise. His explanation?
"We are a bit static and predictable going forward. We also invite pressure and get choked out of possession. [Sounds familiar?] We need an outlet that can relieve pressure and shake things up running at defences and breaking lines. It's not fixed with a pacy striker and hopeful balls, we need a disciplined midfield performer who will "desdoblar" (unfold, sort of "switch in transition") in defence and attack offering that option. Out of the entire pool of players, Pellistri has the characteristics to do that. It's unfortunate he isn't playing, but he is the best fit for the role I have in mind"
Everyone thought, "yeah, yeah, rubbish, there's no way he is playing him, just throwing curveballs at the presser".
Then the kid starts, delivers exactly that, the entire team plays better and you can clearly see previous ills eradicated by the tactical use of a fitting resource.
No wonder people are delighted with him and the new manager.
What is this - Crapshoot United? "Rashford doesn't work, give my pet cat a chance, she is cute".
No, you cannot go from being a bench-warmer at Alaves, to "given chances" in EPL by United. It doesn't matter if he played nicely in one game, against Peru, in national team. National team games and club games are completely different ordeals.
He played nicely three games on the trot and Marca have actually been pointing out how ridiculous it is that Alavés doesn't give him minutes.
You are right though that internationals and club football are different.
Everyone raves about Darwin Nuñez, he got started in the same three games against these "shitty Venezuelas, Paraguays and Perus" and he's been pish. Totally average. Gets the start because we can no longer start Suarez-Cavani together, but there's 4-5 other forwards I can think of who would likely deliver more.
Does it mean Nuñez is crap? Nah, it means he doesn't shape the game like putty (so will never be top top tier) and needs the right structure and service to deliver as he does at Benfica.
But it doesn't make what Pellistri has delivered in these three games any less remarkable.