Fosu-Mensah Earns Praise From Van Gaal

Tim Fosu-Mensah's versatility has impressed Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal.

The youngster, who only turned 18 at the start of this year, came off the bench to make his senior debut in the Barclays Premier League win over Arsenal as a second-half replacement for Marcos Rojo.

A centre-back in his Ajax days, Fosu-Mensah has appeared in a variety of positions for Warren Joyce's Under-21 side and operated in both full-back slots recently.

"I think I have already tried him as a right full-back in the second team," van Gaal told MUTV. "Through the circumstances, I have to do that because he is very fast and very fast with the ball.

"He can dribble, he can cross, but he can also play in the centre-half position or in midfield. He's a multi-functional player. But it is not easy to play in the first team when you are so young because the play is so quick, especially against Arsenal, because they are also moving the ball quickly. So it was a good debut for him."

Sunday represented a first appearance in the senior matchday squad for the teenager, and he did not feature in the Under-21s' win against Middlesbrough on Monday ahead of Wednesday's first-team encounter with Watford at Old Trafford.