UTD Podcast: Tim praises Academy spirit

In the latest episode of our official club podcast, the young defender talks about his switch to the Reds and how his team-mates helped him settle in. He also discusses his long-lasting friendship with Donny van de Beek and much, much more.

Having spent his childhood in Amsterdam, moving to Manchester was a huge turning point for Fosu-Mensah, as he recalls.

"For a young boy, it was a big step," he told UTD Podcast.

"I made the decision and at the end of the day I’m happy with that decision. How was it for me? Well, when I came the first day, it was very different. The only thing I knew was Amsterdam and the only thing I knew was Ajax. Here, everything is just different."

Despited the change of environment, it did not take long for him to make an impression at the club. And he thanks his team-mates for making it easy to settle into life in a new country.

"The lads made me feel very welcome," added the 22-year-old.

"Players like Axel, Marcus, Scott... we all played in the U18s. They made me feel very welcome. Marcus was the one with the driving license and the first one in the team with one so he always offered me a lift. We didn’t live far from each other.

"The lads have always been very good. Axel is also like a leader. The first thing he did was make me feel comfortable in the team and they all made me feel comfortable in the team. The transition, coming from Amsterdam to Manchester, maybe the first month was a bit difficult, but after that it was so easy. I think the club did everything they could to make me feel comfortable."

The Dutch defender has made 30 appearances so far for United and had loan spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham. On 28 February 2016, just two years after his arrival at the club, Fosu-Mensah made his United debut, coming on as a substitute in a 3-1 win against Arsenal.

"It was a beautiful day, against Arsenal at Old Trafford," he remembers. "We won the game as well. I think I came on for Marcos [Rojo] after 55 minutes. It was an unbelievable day for me and my family.

"During the first-half break, the manager came to me and said, “make sure you’re ready because there’s a good chance that you’re going to come on".

"I remember Adnan [Januzaj] saying to me, “Timmy’s going to play for Manchester!” He was happy for me as well. After 10 minutes already [in the second half], I came on so it was a brilliant day. It was a good amount of time against a good opposition so it was fantastic."

The game against the Gunners was also Marcus Rashford’s first Premier League start and he announced himself  in the English top flight in style with two goals.

"In that same week, Marcus made his debut in the Europa League and everybody was so happy for him, you know."

"To see the players you’ve played with at U18s, U21s playing in the first-team all together… I remember James Weir also coming on in that game, Guillermo Varela was playing as well. For us to be on the pitch at Old Trafford, against Arsenal, full stadium, was just unbelievable."

The game also had another memorable moment, when van Gaal dropped to the floor on the sideline as he was explaining a situation to the fourth official. 

"No, no, no, I was not aware of that," Fosu-Mensah said as he was laughing about the situation.

"I’ve seen it after and I was like “did the manager do this?!"

The podcast is available to listen to on the streaming platform of your choice.