Timothy Fosu-Mensah has seen his contract extended at Old Trafford and remains determined to prove his worth, with the 22-year-old Dutchman saying: “Who doesn’t want to play for Manchester United?”
A product of the academy system at Old Trafford has made a number of senior appearances for the Red Devils. Competition for places, loan spells and injury struggles have, however, restricted him to just 21 games.
United believe the versatile defender is still capable of making a positive impact on their books, with a clause in his deal triggered as a result, but the coronavirus lockdown has only added to the sense of frustration being suffered by all concerned.
Fosu-Mensah is trying to stay positive, though, telling the Independent of his future ambition: “Who doesn’t want to play for United? So, yeah, I’m definitely eager to come back and to do well and to help the team and to give my all, my heart for this great club.
“My goal is to be a regular for the club, to win so many trophies for the club, to have memorable experiences with this club. That’s the goal. I think that’s everyone’s goal who plays in the team for Manchester.”
GettyFosu-Mensah, who has impressed during spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham in recent years, was on the verge of coming back into contention for United when football shut down.
He had spent eight months on the sidelines with knee ligament damage, with a solitary outing for the Red Devils’ U23 then followed by a quad issue.
“I was feeling very good to feature for the team,” Fosu-Mensah said. “Obviously the manager makes the decisions, but I was feeling confident to come back and make an appearance and, yeah, to enjoy the game.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has offered Fosu-Mensah hope when it comes to earning a regular role at United, with alternative options required in a defensive unit that has improved dramatically of late.
“He’s been very positive with me,” the Dutchman said of his boss. “Obviously I had my first training session with the first-team, it was I think around December, so that’s the first time when you really see me in front of his own eyes on the pitch.
“He has been very positive with me. He sees I’ve been working hard, and he’s been encouraging me every single time, so I feel the trust from him.”
Fosu-Mensah’s last competitive appearance for United came on May 21, 2017, with almost three years having passed since that outing under Jose Mourinho against Palace.