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Former Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah has expressed optimism that he will land a new club after one full season as a free agent.
Fosu-Mensah came through the ranks at United, having joined the club from Ajax in 2014. He went on to make his senior debut for the Red Devils in 2016 under Louis van Gaal.
The player made 30 first-team appearances for United during a stint which lasted until 2021. Fosu-Mensah could never really nail down a regular berth in the team or a consistent run of form due to injuries and fitness issues, which hampered his progress.
While at United, he also had loan spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham.
He joined Bayer Leverkusen after leaving Old Trafford, but just six weeks into his arrival, Fosu-Mensah tore his cruciate ligament against Freiburg, ending his debut half-season. He returned to action in March 2022, only to suffer a new hamstring injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the campaign.
Fosu-Mensah left Leverkusen last year and did not receive a medal when the club won the Bundesliga in the 2023/24 season, as he didn’t play a single minute and was therefore ineligible.
He hasn’t found a new club yet, but in an interview with the Independent, he said he is hopeful all his hard work will pay off and he’ll be back playing again soon.
The Dutchman told the newspaper, “Last season was the first time in my career that I’ve spent without a team. 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.”
He opened up about his difficult search for a new club, revealing that several agents got involved and ultimately scuppered some promising opportunities.
“There was a couple of situations with agents here and there, which was a bit of a mess. 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.”
On links to the Championship, he answered, “Some of them I was aware of, some of them I wasn’t.”
Even as he plans for the next steps in his career, Fosu-Mensah admitted that he still keeps an eye on United and what is happening. He gave his verdict on the club’s disastrous 2024/25 season and whether Ruben Amorim is the right man for the job.
“I’ll always be a fan of United. 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.”
The 27-year-old also spoke about Marcus Rashford, saying that the forward’s talent is undeniable despite his significant dip in form.
According to Fosu-Mensah, all Rashford needs is to feel happy wherever he is, and the performances will follow.
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