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.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Prem clubs set to spend big this week as Man Utd close in on Mbeumo transfer
Premier League clubs could ramp up their summer spending starting on Tuesday, as they enter a new accounting year which means they are not as restricted by the Profit and Sustainability Rules The transfer window is set to hot up with Premier League clubs waiting for this week until they ramp up their recruitment, as they hold fire until the next year of accounts. We've just entered the new reporting year under the Premier League's financial rules and it means any deals can now be posted on the 2025/26 accounts, rather than those from 2024/25. Any clubs who were on the limit of this year's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) may have been holding fire on a number of transfers. The powers that be have already shown that breaching PSR rules can result in points deductions and some teams had been putting their business on pause to avoid adding any numbers to their 2024/25 balance sheet, reports the Daily Mail. But anything from Tuesday onwards will go against a new account, where clubs will have a lot more room for manoeuvre. As a result spending is likely to ramp up. This summer we have already seen the British-record transfer broken by Liverpool, who have spent close to £200million to land the likes of Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. That said, the Reds hardly spent anything last summer so will have had the room to invest. Manchester United spent £62.5m to add Matheus Cunha but he is their only summer signing thus far despite their pursuit of Bryan Mbeumo. They've had several offers for the Brentford man rejected but the deal is expected to get over the line. Manchester City have added three new faces with Rayan Cherki among them. Pep Guardiola is eyeing a rebuild and their summer recruitment will be aided by the millions they receive from the Club World Cup, where they have advanced to the knockout stages. Newcastle have been somewhat hampered by PSR in the past but this new accounting year could give them space to invest. They're going after Brighton's Joao Pedro whilst they have also expressed their interest in goalkeeper James Trafford and Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga. Arsenal are expected to sign a striker this summer but nothing has been confirmed yet with Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres on their radar. They've also not official announced the signing of Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. 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.
Leader Live
43 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Wrexham duo Andy Cannon and Mo Faal still out injured
Phil Parkinson's men finished runners-up in League One last term to secure an historic third successive promotion. Back in the Championship for the first time in 43 years, the Reds begin the campaign with a clash against Southampton - relegated from the Premier League in 2024-25 - at St Marys Stadium on Saturday August 9, with the game kicking off at 12.30pm after being selected for live television coverage. Before them, Wrexham have a pre-season tour to Australia and New Zealand, which includes matches against Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC, and Wellington Phoenix, and the build-up starts with a first training session today. But midfielder Andy Cannon and striker Mo Faal are still recovering from injury. Cannon underwent surgery after rupturing a cruciate ligament during the 2-1 win at Mansfield Town on February 23 and is facing a lengthy spell out of action while Faal sustained a thigh problem during training in April. "The players were back in for testing on Wednesday and pre-season starts officially on Monday," said Parkinson. "It has been good for the lads to have a bit of time off. "They have obviously been doing the off-season programmes we gave them and a few have had appointments with specialists to clear up minor issues so that everybody comes back in a good place. "Mo has still got a problem with his thigh which will take a while and Andy is out as well but everybody else should be fit and raring to go. "Andy has got quite a long road ahead of him. We will make sure that he steps up his work in the next few months and he is ready."
Leader Live
43 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Wrexham: Hardie happy to take on Championship challenge
The 28-year-old has joined the Reds from Plymouth Argyle for an undisclosed fee, signing a contract until the end of the 2027-28 season to become the first new signing of the summer transfer window at The Racecourse. Phil Parkinson is strengthening his squad for the step-up to the Championship after Wrexham finished runners-up in League One last term to secure an historic third successive promotion. Hardie is no stranger to the second tier having spent the last two seasons playing at the level with Argyle. But while ambitious Wrexham - backed by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhnenney - are only one division away from the top-flight, Hardie says quickly adjusting to life in the Championship is the priority. "I've not spoke massively on the club's goals but I'm sure the club will want to do as much as they can next season," said the frontman, who begins pre-season training with the Reds today. "I would never say why not try and go to the Premier League but all we want to do is focus on the first couple of games of the season, bed ourselves in and then see where the season takes us. "I have seen how successful the club has been with the players they have got so I think everybody will be up for the challenge." Wrexham have climbed from the National League to the second tier at a rapid rate and Hardie added: "It's massively impressive. "Watching from the outside, it's been like 'they're going to do it again' and they've done it. "I've only been fortunate enough to see it from the outside but now I'm involved, I'm really looking forward to getting going and being a part of the club's journey." Hardie, who has reached double figures for goals in each of the last four seasons, has already been in contact with co-chairmen Reynolds and McElhenney since completing his move to north Wales. 'I had a phone call off Ryan and a text from Rob so it was a bit surreal to hear from those types of people," he said. "But going into the club, I heard about the way that it's run and the owners like to be involved so I have spoken to them "They are really part of the club. Obviously they have helped make the club successful so far and what you say about the club and the community, from what I have seen from the outside, it looks very good. "I like the feel where it is like a one-club city. It feels like everyone in the city is all for the club and the club is only going in one direction so it is exciting times." Hardie can't wait to link-up with his new team-mates and management staff. "I am really looking forward to getting to meet everyone. The squad looks amazing," he said. "I've spoken to a few players that are there and they have told me that the squad is so together that it's a great changing room to be a part of and I can't wait to get in there." There are familiar faces in the dressing room with goalkeeper Callum Burton and centre-back Dan Scarr former colleagues from their time together at Plymouth. However, Hardie did not tell the pair he was joining Wrexham until the deal was done. "I actually managed to keep it to myself that the the deal was happening until the day it was getting announced," he revealed. "I never spoke to them before it because I like to keep it close to my chest until things are finalised. "I have spoken to them since and everything has been so positive. They say that the club's a great place to be." Hardie, who scored 74 goals in 248 games for Argyle since signing in January 2020 from Blackpool – initially on loan before making the move permanent the following year - faces stern competition for a starting place. MORE WREXHAM AFC NEWS Sam Smith, Jay Rodriguez, Jack Marriott and Mo Faal are other strike options available to Parkinson but it's not something that fazes Hardie. "That's how every club is successful," he added. "You have got to have people fighting for positions and that is something that the manager is big on. "He says there it is going to be people fighting for the jersey and I am ready for it. "I am looking forward to meeting my teammates,the management staff and everyone at the club."
