Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah says the presence of club legends Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt is 'very important' for him and fellow young players.
Fosu-Mensah made his United debut a few weeks ago as a second-half substitute in the 3-2 win against title challengers Arsenal. After an initial few nervous touches, he settled and has made a further two appearances off the bench since, as well as a full match in the Premier League against Watford.
Fosu-Mensah helped by Class of '92 members
The 18-year-old is pleased that "the club have retained Nicky Butt and Ryan Giggs from the Class of '92." Fosu-Mensah arrived in September 2014 from Ajax and has noticed that the roles of Butt and Giggs "says a lot about the club," which is "very important."
While coaches can do a lot to boost confidence and improve a player, Fosu-Mensah says the two members of the Class of '92 who remain at the club just "have an eye for talent." The Netherlands under-19 defender said that "you just know as a youth player that United are always looking at you."
Fosu-Mensah is tipped as one of the biggest talents within a United system that has most recently produced Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, who are now regular starters for the first team. Louis van Gaal has shown his willingness to trust in the youth players and Fosu-Mensah was pleased at that, saying he wanted to see the Dutch manager continue.
Young centre-back played - Arsenal and City
He continued to discuss Giggs and Butt. "They all have opinions," he said. They are "guys from the club [brought through the academy] who know precisely how the club works." The best thing for Fosu-Mensah is because they have experienced the same route as he has done at United, "they know exactly how you feel at times" and can tell you "what you're doing wrong and why it's wrong." He told De Telegraaf in Holland that he tries "to do something with their information, which is important."
Fosu-Mensah already has five United caps to his name and has played in big games like Arsenal and the Manchester derby, although as a sub. He has shown his ability and the potential he carries, if he continues to listen to Butt and Giggs, he will continue to feature for the Reds.