Van Gaal: Fosu-Mensah Saved Us

Louis van Gaal reserved special praise for young defender Tim Fosu-Mensah following Manchester United's victory over Watford on Wednesday night.

The defender made his first start for the club after coming off the bench against Arsenal at the weekend to make his debut. Van Gaal opted to field the teenager alongside compatriot Daley Blind at the heart of the defence with Marcos Rojo at left-back.

Fosu-Mensah did not look out of place and, despite picking up a first-half booking, helped keep the visitors at bay with a series of vital last-ditch challenges.

The 18-year-old dealt admirably with the direct approach of Watford's much-respected strike pairing of Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo through the middle, as United recorded a first clean sheet in the league for a month.

With Fosu-Mensah handed his chance due to Michael Carrick being rested, van Gaal singled out his contribution in his post-match press conference.

"Timothy has saved us three times, I think, because of his speed," explained the manager.

"So I was very pleased that he was on the pitch. He wanted to be changed early in the second half [because he picked up a knock] but I let him stay on because he always closed the door for us.

"I think the youngsters have given us a lot of spirit and now, when you see the dressing room full of joy with all the players laughing, it’s beautiful to see."