The second in a five-part series of exclusive interviews with some of Manchester United's young stars hoping for a big 2016/17 season features Joe Riley...
When United faced Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup in February, it was a special moment for Joe Riley. A youngster who has been connected with the Reds since the age of six made his debut and followed it up with a start against Midtjylland three days later.
The nerves, which must have threatened to be all-consuming, failed to get the better of the 19-year-old. "The first game was obviously a dream come true," he said. "I had a dry mouth going onto the pitch but I think I did quite well. It was good to be able to start in the next game against Midtjylland at Old Trafford as well. It was unbelievable."
Riley sensed there could be an opening on the trip to Denmark for the first leg of the Europa League tie as a number of full-backs were unavailable. "I’d never have thought about that happening this season," he conceded. "But I saw all the injuries we had and remember saying to everyone: ‘This is the best chance for me, I’m never going to get another chance like this again! I need to get there!’
"Louis van Gaal called me in and said I’d got that call and I was going to be travelling with them. He spoke to us youngsters and said: ‘Congratulations, you’ve made the squad.’ To hear that from the manager was unbelievable. My first trip flying away in Europe with the first team and it was just crazy with all the press and everything that goes with it."
After making the flight to Scandinavia but failing to get off the bench, it was even sweeter when he started in the second leg.
"I wanted to try to go out and play my own game, as though it were an Under-21 match, and did not want to put too much pressure on myself," he said. "I wanted to just go out and enjoy the experience and play like I can. It's definitely more nerve-wracking. I tried not to take the fans in. When you’re actually playing and you’re concentrating on the game, you kind of zone out from the fans. It’s only when you have a throw-in or there’s a stoppage in play that you realise and think ‘wow’. When you’re playing, it’s okay."
One positive foray forward led to a good chance for Morgan Schneiderlin as the rookie did himself justice in front of the home supporters. "I remember putting in a cross onto Morgan’s head and he hit a post," Riley recalls. "To hear the fans go ‘Oooh’, it was unbelievable to know it’s all come from you as well."
Riley's rise was even more remarkable considering he was only converted full time into a left-back by Under-21 coach Warren Joyce after moving up last year. In his younger days, he was much more of a winger and things did not necessarily all go his own way in the Under-18s in his time as a second-year scholar.
By being moulded into a defender, he forced his way into Joyce's plans at the higher age level and ended up making 19 appearances in the championship-winning team. The unforgettable glimpse of first-team action aside, such an achievement cannot be underestimated as it is traditionally difficult for youngsters adapting to their first season as professionals by moving up from boys' football. It is a physical challenge and hard work is a necessity, something which the Lytham-raised prospect wisely embraced.
"It’s the same when you step up to the Under-18s," he said. "At any age, it’s hard to get into the team. To get into the Under-21s, playing at left-back too, which is not really my position, and be appearing regularly – if you'd said it to me at the start of the season, I’d have been delighted with that.
"Warren gets us all fit. I’m definitely a lot fitter and stronger this season. I’ve just been working a lot on my left side and left foot really. At the start of the season, Guillermo Varela was with the Under-21s and Cameron [Borthwick-Jackson] but then eventually he went up so there was a little spot for a left-back. I grasped that with both hands to get time in the team and play there. A few players have gone up to the first team so I’ve played pretty much all of the games this season."
As with a number of players, the question about his long-term position is a pertinent one. He switched to the right-hand side of defence towards the very end of the campaign and that clearly is an option next term. "Eventually, I might move to right-back next season," he said. "I’ve no idea obviously, but, if I keep playing and performing well, I’ll play wherever, to be honest.
"My preference is I’m a right-back definitely. People probably don’t take into consideration that I’m not on my strongest side. I like to cross the ball and to do it on my left side is a lot harder. So preferably I’m a right-sided player who likes to cross the ball but, wherever I’m playing, if it keeps me in the team, I’ll happily always stay at left-back!
"I’ve always preferred full-back, to be honest, because I like to drive out with the ball," he stated. "I like having all the space to move into and run the pitch if I can. But I’ve always been an attacking player. I’ve done a lot of work on my defensive attributes. To be fair, it wasn’t something I had to do a lot last year [at Under-18 level] but, as a full-back, I’m definitely more attacking. Being truthful, I think you need that now in the modern game."
Riley looks very much a 21st-century full-back in the Luke Shaw mould, capable of launching attacks with lung-bursting raids down the flank and linking with his colleagues. Capable of operating in a more advanced role due to his education as a winger, the teenager still has plenty to learn about the game but his stamina is already a valuable asset.
"If you look at someone like Luke, he bombs forward all the time and is obviously a great left-back," Riley continued. "It’s good watching him get forward but also defending as well. I’d like to take that into my game. I've not really played as a wing-back before but I definitely think that role could be calling my name, to be honest."
The youth system at Old Trafford is continuing to work well and the Under-21 title triumph is further evidence of the fact that young players are on track for success. There is pride in witnessing teenagers adapting to life in the first team and a genuine sense this lifts every player representing the club at a lower age group. "I don’t think anyone has let the side down," commented Riley. "Everyone has done well, whether they’ve come in from the Under-21s or even the Under-18s such as Marcus [Rashford] and Timmy [Fosu-Mensah] – everyone has done well."
In terms of the future, the full-back continues to have ambitions that are far less outlandish than they would have sounded at the start of the 2015/16 campaign. Boosted by his first-team involvement, and exploits with Joyce's Under-21s, he has every reason to aim high when he returns for pre-season training. Travelling on tour is certainly a long-held goal, an experience that would surely eclipse that of flying to Denmark with the first team on European duty.
"I’m hoping for that involvement at some point," he admitted. "I think it’s everyone’s dream to go on a pre-season tour and we saw Gossy [Sean Goss] do it last year. We’ll see how it all goes and, if I get picked to go on tour, it will be an absolute quality experience to go to China."
Riley knows how hard he will have to work to ensure this objective is fulfilled but last term's progress proved his endeavour and application are ensuring he is heading in the right direction.
Credit: manutd.com
