TIMOTHY FOSU-MENSAH was once one of Manchester United’s brightest young talents.
The 6ft 1in defender debuted for the Red Devils aged just 18 in a 3-2 win over Arsenal in 2016, on the same day that Marcus Rashford also made his first Premier League appearance.
ReutersTimothy Fosu-Mensah played alongside the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Man Utd[/caption]
AFP or licensorsThe Dutchman impressed up against Leroy Sane[/caption]
Now aged 26, it’s fair to say that Fosu-Mensah hasn’t quite delivered in the same way as his former team-mate.
The Dutchman, who has earned three caps for his country, spent time on loan at Crystal Palace and Fulham between 2017 and 2019 as he continued to develop.
He caught the eye during his stints away, particularly at Palace, where he even impressed the likes of Leroy Sane.
The German, 28, said of his toughest opponents during his Manchester City days: “It was before when I was playing against Kyle Walker.
“And Crystal Palace’s right-back Timothy Fosu-Mensah, I have played against him twice this season, and even last season, he had me really well under control and I told him how happy I was to play against him.”
After initially emerging under Louis van Gaal, Fosu-Mensah played 11 times under Jose Mourinho during the 2016-17 campaign.
On his time working with the Portuguese, he said: “I spent the full season with the first team and as a result of that, I completed a full pre-season with them for the first time.
“I was still a teenager when Jose Mourinho arrived and he helped me mature into becoming a man in footballing terms.
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“Jose was tough on young players with his demands but in a good way because he wanted you to be ready to represent a club the size of Manchester United.
“He helped make me stronger mentally and physically.”
Fosu-Mensah featured sporadically after returning from his loan spells, never managing to establish himself as a first-choice pick.
Having played just 30 times for United in more than five years, he decided to leave in 2021 – joining Bayer Leverkusen.
Things haven’t gone to plan in Germany, however, with persistent injuries thwarting his progress.
He has played just 30 times in two-and-a-half years with Leverkusen and is yet to appear this season.
Now 26 he has been an unused substitute six times this term, missing much of the campaign with a knee injury.
He later said of his Old Trafford exit, as per the MEN: “It was my decision.
“The manager was good to me but at the end, I was not playing a lot. When you are 22, 23, or 24 years old you need to be playing.
“I didn’t play much and I wanted to. It was the best decision in the end to go somewhere else where I would get more minutes.”
Fosu-Mensah did not make Bayer Leverkusen’s 25-man squad for their Europa League group stage campaign earlier this season.
In an interview with World Football Index last year, he said: “I have had a few spells out with injury so I want to stay injury free in order to play and perform at the highest level.
“Of course, I want to win more trophies in my career but the most important thing is to be able to enjoy my football and play at the highest level of the game.”
Leverkusen are flying high at the top of the Bundesliga.
But for Fosu-Mensah, just being able to get out there before the end of the season would represent some sort of success.
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