Timothy Fosu-Mensah can be United’s Carrick replacement

Timothy Fosu-Mensah can be United’s Carrick replacement

At 35 years old, Michael Carrick is nearing the end of his wonderful career in the Premier League. The Manchester United midfielder has been an absolute warrior in his 11 seasons at Old Trafford and like fellow long time Red Devil Wayne Rooney, it is time for Jose Mourinho and the club to look for replacements. Finding a replacement for leading all-time goal scorer Wayne Rooney is a difficult task, but there is a player already at United who could fill the Carrick-sized hole in midfield: Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

The 19-year old Dutchman came to United in 2014 from legendary club Ajax and made his first team debut only two years later as a substitute against Arsenal. Fosu-Mensah finished his first professional season with 10 total appearances and four starts, all somewhere along the back four. His performance was rewarded with a call-up to the senior Dutch national team for three friendlies, but he didn’t see the pitch during those matches.

New manager Jose Mourinho hasn’t been as big of a fan of Fosu-Mensah so far. The Dutchman only played in 11 matches and his only league start game on the final day of the season when Mourinho essentially started the U23 squad. As Carrick starts to be phased out of the team, Fosu-Mensah should be there to fill in.


Although the vast majority of his senior minutes have come along the backline, Fosu-Mensah is naturally a holding midfielder. The Amsterdam native is strong for his age and has a good amount of skill for a defensive player.

As the top Premier League clubs continue to lean towards filling holes with expensive foreign players, Manchester United and Mourinho could save millions by looking at a player already plying his trade at Old Trafford. Fosu-Mensah has all the talent to become a United midfield mainstay like the ultimate warrior Michael Carrick. He just needs the chance to prove that.