Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah is set to move from Old Trafford on a loan deal to Hertha Berlin.
Fosu-Mensah was part of Jose Mourinho’s squad for the United States pre-season tour and the friendly defeat to Bayern Munich on Sunday. The Netherlands international spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace, making 21 Premier League appearances as he helped Roy Hodgson’s side avoid relegation. Sources close to ESPN have revealed that various Premier League sides have expressed an interest in him.
However, only Hertha Berlin have made a firm offer.
Mourinho has sanctioned a deal to send Axel Tuanzebe, 20, to Aston Villa next season, and Fosu-Mensah is set to follow after the manager decided regular first-team football would be best for his development.
Fosu-Mensah has made 21 senior appearances for United since making his debut under Louis van Gaal in 2016 and his performances for Palace last season helped him break into the Netherlands team.
Born in Amsterdam to Ghanaian parents, Fosu-Mensah began his career with Ajax, before moving to England in 2014. Fosu-Mensah has played for Manchester United’s youth teams in a variety of positions, including centre-back, right-back and central midfield. He made his professional debut at left-back on 28 February 2016, in a 3–2 Premier League win at home to Arsenal, coming on as a 55th-minute substitute for Marcos Rojo.
On 19 October 2016, he signed a new long-term contract with Manchester United until 2020, with the option to extend for a further year.
On 10 August 2017, Fosu-Mensah joined Crystal Palace on a season-long loan, reuniting with his former boss at Ajax, Frank de Boer.He made his debut for Palace two days later on 12 August 2017 against newly promoted Huddersfield Town, losing 3–0. Despite the defeat, Fosu-Mensah was praised for his last-minute tackle on Steve Mounié, denying him a hat-trick.
Having played at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-19 levels for the Netherlands, Fosu-Mensah was rewarded for his performances for Manchester United with his first call-up to the senior team for friendlies against the Republic of Ireland, Polandand Austria. He is also eligible to play for Ghana as he qualifies through his parents.
He received another call-up to the senior squad on 28 August 2017, replacing the injured Kenny Tete for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against France and Bulgaria. Fosu-Mensah made his first senior appearance for the Netherlands on 31 August 2017, when he was named in the starting line-up against France in a 4–0 defeat.
Tuanzebe, on the other hand, was associated with the Manchester United academy from the age of eight. He was a member of Milk Cup winning youth sides in 2013 and 2014. In May 2015, Tuanzebe won the Jimmy Murphy Young Player of the Year award.Academy coach Paul McGuinness noted that Tuanzebe was the first first-year scholar to captain the under-18 side since Gary Neville.
On 31 October 2015, Tuanzebe was named on the substitutes bench for a match against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, the first time he had been a member of a first-team squad.2016–17 season.
On 29 January 2017, Tuanzebe made his Manchester United debut as a 68th-minute substitute, replacing Tim Fosu-Mensahduring a 4–0 FA Cup victory over Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford.Four days later, he extended his contract at Manchester United until 2020, with the option of a further year.On 7 May 2017, Tuanzebe started a senior match for the first time, in a 2–0 defeat against Arsenal in the Premier League. He won the Denzil Haroun Reserve Team Player of the Year award in May 2017.
Tuanzebe made his first start of the season against Swansea City in the EFL Cup on 24 October 2017, playing a key part in the second goal of the 2–0 victory. On 5 December 2017, he made his European debut in a 2–1 victory over CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League.