Latest news with #TimothyFosu-Mensah
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Forgotten Man Utd wonderkid reveals transfer 'mess' after year as free agent
Ex-Manchester United youngster Timothy Fosu-Mensah remains confident of finding a club despite last playing in April 2023 at Bayer Leverkusen and being a free agent for 12 months It's no surprise to hear footballer's are shopped around to clubs. It may not even be a surprise to know it happens without their knowledge. But that parties players don't even know are attempting to speak to clubs on their behalf, indicates the opportunism present sometimes in the transfer market. Former Manchester United youngster Timothy Fosu-Mensah has learned as much in his year without a club. The 27-year-old, who f irst made his name with the Red Devils under Louis van Gaal, last played for Bayer Leverkusen in April 2023 before leaving the club the following year having failed to make an appearance in their title-winning season under Xabi Alonso. And following that Fosu-Mensah has spent 12 months as a free agent and learned about a new aspect of the footballing world. The defender has experienced plenty of difficulties in his career. The Dutchman has been impacted by managerial changes — Van Gaal was replaced by Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford who spoke of 'great potential' and promised 'plenty of opportunities' before offering just one Premier League start in a season — seen a loan opportunity end via a horrific cruciate ligament injury and most recently failed to find a club after being shown the door by Leverkusen. And as a result of that final blow, Fosuh-Mensah has found himself the subject of agent talks despite never coming into contact with the representatives himself. It's a situation that he has deemed a 'mess' "There was a couple of situations with agents here and there, which was a bit of a mess," he said. "People were speaking on my name who I never even had contact with. "I would say like 80 per cent of the agents who were approaching clubs and people I didn't even know, who I didn't even had contact with. I think that was a big mess." That period included talks with Championship clubs. 'Some of them I was aware of, some of them I wasn't,' Fosu-Mensah added. The defender, who saw spells on loan with Crystal Palace and Fulham while at United, has spent time training with boyhood Ajax in recent months to ensure fitness. And despite his experiences, is confident he will find a new team to represent. 'Last season was the first time in my career that I've spent without a team,' Fosu-Mensah said. 'At this age it's quite early and I think quite strange for people. 'I know I've been working hard and hard work won't go unnoticed. That's what I believe. 'If you stay at home, you do nothing and then you think 'boom, OK, I'm going to go this club or that club', no, that's not how it works, that's not my mentality. It's definitely a fresh start and I've been working hard.' Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Timothy Fosu-Mensah believes hard work will pay off in long bid to find new club
The Ajax youth product made his breakthrough at Old Trafford, where he graduated from the academy and made 30 first-team appearances – a figure that would have been higher were it not for loans and injury. Fosu-Mensah suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a spell at Fulham in 2019, with another following in February 2021 on just his seventh league appearance for new club Bayer Leverkusen. Such issues, thankfully, seem in the past and now the 27-year-old is looking to kickstart his career after spending a season as a free agent. 'Last season was the first time in my career that I've spent without a team,' Fosu-Mensah told PA. 'At this age it's quite early and I think quite strange for people. 'I know I've been working hard and hard work won't go unnoticed. That's what I believe. 'If you stay at home, you do nothing and then you think 'boom, OK, I'm going to go this club or that club', no, that's not how it works, that's not my mentality. It's definitely a fresh start and I've been working hard.' Fosu-Mensah's last competitive appearance came in April 2023 but he does not believe he will struggle to make a comeback, pointing to others forced out of the game for different reasons as well as his fitness regime. In fact, he feels as strong as ever, mentally and physically, after leaving Bayer without making an appearance during their title-winning 2023-24 season. Fosu-Mensah was on the bench a handful of times and fit for all but three weeks of that campaign, with more jarring issues following last summer's release. 'There was a couple of situations with agents here and there, which was a bit of a mess,' he said. 'People were speaking on my name who I never even had contact with. 'I would say like 80 per cent of the agents who were approaching clubs and people I didn't even know, who I didn't even had contact with. I think that was a big mess.' There were some talks during the winter about moving to the Championship – 'some of them I was aware of, some of them I wasn't,' he admitted – before a beneficial five months with Ajax. Timothy Fosu-Mensah (right) made 30 appearances for Manchester United (Martin Rickett/PA) Fosu-Mensah has followed that training time with their reserves and first team, including some behind-closed-doors games, with daily summer workouts as he seeks a return. The 27-year-old spoke after one such session alongside Brian Brobbey and Steven Bergwijn from his home in the Netherlands, where a framed United shirt reading 'Fosu-Mensah 51' takes pride of place. 'I'll always be a fan of United,' Fosu-Mensah said. 'Always. I came there when I was 16, I left when I was 23. I've had many nice moments, won a couple of trophies, especially in my first season. 'We all know United, we all know the history of United, we all know what United stands for. 'Even this last season the Premier League was difficult for them but they reached the Europa League final, so it's something in the DNA of the club that they always want to win trophies. 'I have analysed the manager (Ruben Amorim) and I have seen a little bit how he plays and what he wants from his players. 'Jeremiah St Juste from Sporting Lisbon is a good friend of mine and he had great words for the manager, so I'm positive that United brought in a good manager.' Fosu-Mensah hopes 'good things will happen to the club and to the players' next season, including Marcus Rashford having made his Premier League debut alongside him against Arsenal in February 2016. 'I just want him to be happy,' he added. 'Everybody just wants him to be happy. 'The most important things is for him to feel good, for him to feel happy. Look, the quality is definitely there. Nobody needs to say anything about this quality, because he's a top player.'
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Timothy Fosu-Mensah believes hard work will pay off in long bid to find new club
The Ajax youth product made his breakthrough at Old Trafford, where he graduated from the academy and made 30 first-team appearances – a figure that would have been higher were it not for loans and injury. Fosu-Mensah suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a spell at Fulham in 2019, with another following in February 2021 on just his seventh league appearance for new club Bayer Leverkusen. Such issues, thankfully, seem in the past and now the 27-year-old is looking to kickstart his career after spending a season as a free agent. A post shared by Timothy Fosu-Mensah (@tfosumensah) 'Last season was the first time in my career that I've spent without a team,' Fosu-Mensah told PA. 'At this age it's quite early and I think quite strange for people. 'I know I've been working hard and hard work won't go unnoticed. That's what I believe. 'If you stay at home, you do nothing and then you think 'boom, OK, I'm going to go this club or that club', no, that's not how it works, that's not my mentality. It's definitely a fresh start and I've been working hard.' Fosu-Mensah's last competitive appearance came in April 2023 but he does not believe he will struggle to make a comeback, pointing to others forced out of the game for different reasons as well as his fitness regime. A post shared by Timothy Fosu-Mensah (@tfosumensah) In fact, he feels as strong as ever, mentally and physically, after leaving Bayer without making an appearance during their title-winning 2023-24 season. Fosu-Mensah was on the bench a handful of times and fit for all but three weeks of that campaign, with more jarring issues following last summer's release. 'There was a couple of situations with agents here and there, which was a bit of a mess,' he said. 'People were speaking on my name who I never even had contact with. 'I would say like 80 per cent of the agents who were approaching clubs and people I didn't even know, who I didn't even had contact with. I think that was a big mess.' There were some talks during the winter about moving to the Championship – 'some of them I was aware of, some of them I wasn't,' he admitted – before a beneficial five months with Ajax. Fosu-Mensah has followed that training time with their reserves and first team, including some behind-closed-doors games, with daily summer workouts as he seeks a return. The 27-year-old spoke after one such session alongside Brian Brobbey and Steven Bergwijn from his home in the Netherlands, where a framed United shirt reading 'Fosu-Mensah 51' takes pride of place. 'I'll always be a fan of United,' Fosu-Mensah said. 'Always. I came there when I was 16, I left when I was 23. I've had many nice moments, won a couple of trophies, especially in my first season. 'We all know United, we all know the history of United, we all know what United stands for. 'Even this last season the Premier League was difficult for them but they reached the Europa League final, so it's something in the DNA of the club that they always want to win trophies. A post shared by Timothy Fosu-Mensah (@tfosumensah) 'I have analysed the manager (Ruben Amorim) and I have seen a little bit how he plays and what he wants from his players. 'Jeremiah St Juste from Sporting Lisbon is a good friend of mine and he had great words for the manager, so I'm positive that United brought in a good manager.' Fosu-Mensah hopes 'good things will happen to the club and to the players' next season, including Marcus Rashford having made his Premier League debut alongside him against Arsenal in February 2016. 'I just want him to be happy,' he added. 'Everybody just wants him to be happy. 'The most important things is for him to feel good, for him to feel happy. Look, the quality is definitely there. Nobody needs to say anything about this quality, because he's a top player.'
North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Timothy Fosu-Mensah believes hard work will pay off in long bid to find new club
The Ajax youth product made his breakthrough at Old Trafford, where he graduated from the academy and made 30 first-team appearances – a figure that would have been higher were it not for loans and injury. Fosu-Mensah suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a spell at Fulham in 2019, with another following in February 2021 on just his seventh league appearance for new club Bayer Leverkusen. Such issues, thankfully, seem in the past and now the 27-year-old is looking to kickstart his career after spending a season as a free agent. A post shared by Timothy Fosu-Mensah (@tfosumensah) 'Last season was the first time in my career that I've spent without a team,' Fosu-Mensah told PA. 'At this age it's quite early and I think quite strange for people. 'I know I've been working hard and hard work won't go unnoticed. That's what I believe. 'If you stay at home, you do nothing and then you think 'boom, OK, I'm going to go this club or that club', no, that's not how it works, that's not my mentality. It's definitely a fresh start and I've been working hard.' Fosu-Mensah's last competitive appearance came in April 2023 but he does not believe he will struggle to make a comeback, pointing to others forced out of the game for different reasons as well as his fitness regime. A post shared by Timothy Fosu-Mensah (@tfosumensah) In fact, he feels as strong as ever, mentally and physically, after leaving Bayer without making an appearance during their title-winning 2023-24 season. Fosu-Mensah was on the bench a handful of times and fit for all but three weeks of that campaign, with more jarring issues following last summer's release. 'There was a couple of situations with agents here and there, which was a bit of a mess,' he said. 'People were speaking on my name who I never even had contact with. 'I would say like 80 per cent of the agents who were approaching clubs and people I didn't even know, who I didn't even had contact with. I think that was a big mess.' There were some talks during the winter about moving to the Championship – 'some of them I was aware of, some of them I wasn't,' he admitted – before a beneficial five months with Ajax. Fosu-Mensah has followed that training time with their reserves and first team, including some behind-closed-doors games, with daily summer workouts as he seeks a return. The 27-year-old spoke after one such session alongside Brian Brobbey and Steven Bergwijn from his home in the Netherlands, where a framed United shirt reading 'Fosu-Mensah 51' takes pride of place. 'I'll always be a fan of United,' Fosu-Mensah said. 'Always. I came there when I was 16, I left when I was 23. I've had many nice moments, won a couple of trophies, especially in my first season. 'We all know United, we all know the history of United, we all know what United stands for. 'Even this last season the Premier League was difficult for them but they reached the Europa League final, so it's something in the DNA of the club that they always want to win trophies. A post shared by Timothy Fosu-Mensah (@tfosumensah) 'I have analysed the manager (Ruben Amorim) and I have seen a little bit how he plays and what he wants from his players. 'Jeremiah St Juste from Sporting Lisbon is a good friend of mine and he had great words for the manager, so I'm positive that United brought in a good manager.' Fosu-Mensah hopes 'good things will happen to the club and to the players' next season, including Marcus Rashford having made his Premier League debut alongside him against Arsenal in February 2016. 'I just want him to be happy,' he added. 'Everybody just wants him to be happy. 'The most important things is for him to feel good, for him to feel happy. Look, the quality is definitely there. Nobody needs to say anything about this quality, because he's a top player.'
Leader Live
a day ago
- Sport
- Leader Live
Timothy Fosu-Mensah believes hard work will pay off in long bid to find new club
The Ajax youth product made his breakthrough at Old Trafford, where he graduated from the academy and made 30 first-team appearances – a figure that would have been higher were it not for loans and injury. Fosu-Mensah suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during a spell at Fulham in 2019, with another following in February 2021 on just his seventh league appearance for new club Bayer Leverkusen. Such issues, thankfully, seem in the past and now the 27-year-old is looking to kickstart his career after spending a season as a free agent. A post shared by Timothy Fosu-Mensah (@tfosumensah) 'Last season was the first time in my career that I've spent without a team,' Fosu-Mensah told PA. 'At this age it's quite early and I think quite strange for people. 'I know I've been working hard and hard work won't go unnoticed. That's what I believe. 'If you stay at home, you do nothing and then you think 'boom, OK, I'm going to go this club or that club', no, that's not how it works, that's not my mentality. It's definitely a fresh start and I've been working hard.' Fosu-Mensah's last competitive appearance came in April 2023 but he does not believe he will struggle to make a comeback, pointing to others forced out of the game for different reasons as well as his fitness regime. A post shared by Timothy Fosu-Mensah (@tfosumensah) In fact, he feels as strong as ever, mentally and physically, after leaving Bayer without making an appearance during their title-winning 2023-24 season. Fosu-Mensah was on the bench a handful of times and fit for all but three weeks of that campaign, with more jarring issues following last summer's release. 'There was a couple of situations with agents here and there, which was a bit of a mess,' he said. 'People were speaking on my name who I never even had contact with. 'I would say like 80 per cent of the agents who were approaching clubs and people I didn't even know, who I didn't even had contact with. I think that was a big mess.' There were some talks during the winter about moving to the Championship – 'some of them I was aware of, some of them I wasn't,' he admitted – before a beneficial five months with Ajax. Fosu-Mensah has followed that training time with their reserves and first team, including some behind-closed-doors games, with daily summer workouts as he seeks a return. The 27-year-old spoke after one such session alongside Brian Brobbey and Steven Bergwijn from his home in the Netherlands, where a framed United shirt reading 'Fosu-Mensah 51' takes pride of place. 'I'll always be a fan of United,' Fosu-Mensah said. 'Always. I came there when I was 16, I left when I was 23. I've had many nice moments, won a couple of trophies, especially in my first season. 'We all know United, we all know the history of United, we all know what United stands for. 'Even this last season the Premier League was difficult for them but they reached the Europa League final, so it's something in the DNA of the club that they always want to win trophies. A post shared by Timothy Fosu-Mensah (@tfosumensah) 'I have analysed the manager (Ruben Amorim) and I have seen a little bit how he plays and what he wants from his players. 'Jeremiah St Juste from Sporting Lisbon is a good friend of mine and he had great words for the manager, so I'm positive that United brought in a good manager.' Fosu-Mensah hopes 'good things will happen to the club and to the players' next season, including Marcus Rashford having made his Premier League debut alongside him against Arsenal in February 2016. 'I just want him to be happy,' he added. 'Everybody just wants him to be happy. 'The most important things is for him to feel good, for him to feel happy. Look, the quality is definitely there. Nobody needs to say anything about this quality, because he's a top player.'
