Why Jose Mourinho’s decision to complete this loan move could be a real transfer blunder

Why Manchester United have completed a blunder by loaning out Timothy Fosu-Mensah

Back in the 2015/16 season, Louis van Gaal was in charge of Manchester United. The manager often handed debuts to a lot of youngsters, most notably Marcus Rashford.

The teenager scored a brace during his debut in the Europa League and then a brace against Arsenal in his Premier League debut. But only United fans would remember one more debut on that day against the Gunners at Old Trafford. In the second half of the game, in came Timothy Fosu-Mensah and helped United win 3-2.

As the months progressed, Fosu-Mensah won hearts with his solid performances. The youngster is quite versatile and can play as a centre-back, a right-back and as a defensive midfielder.

However, he was utilized mostly as a right-back by the Dutchman. But once van Gaal was sacked, Jose Mourinho came in and started deploying Antonio Valencia as the right-back.

As a result, his minutes dried up drastically. Last season, the player was loaned out to Crystal Palace and the move provided Fosu-Mensah with ample experience.

Once the season ended, the youngster returned to Old Trafford. Quite surprisingly, the player was once again on the fringes during pre-season. In doing so, Mourinho lost the perfect chance to offer Fosu-Mensah a regular run of games.

The youngster boasts a perfect blend of pace and power. His crossing skills are a tad weak but that can improve with time. He has now joined Fulham on a season-long loan but it’s still unsure as to whether he will receive enough game time to grow and develop further as a player.

Last season, Mourinho had provided a good number of chances to young Scott McTominay when United suffered a lot of injuries in the midfield.

A similar situation could arise this season and if it does, United could have greatly benefitted from Fosu-Mensah’s presence. After all, the Red Devils have a long season ahead and they must compete on four different fronts.

Read More: Opinion – Is Paul Pogba the right man to lead Manchester United this season?

Hence, the club could regret sending Fosu-Mensah away on loan. To have a player as versatile as him is a boon but let’s hope the youngster receives adequate game time at Craven Cottage this term.