Mitchell Making Good Progress With United

Manchester United defender Demi Mitchell is thoroughly enjoying his first pre-season experience with the Reds' senior squad, and says he's developing all the time as a player.

The 20-year-old full-back made his first-team debut in the final Premier League game of last season, against Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in May, and has since featured in this month's tour victories over LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake in the United States.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's clash with Norwegian side Valerenga in Oslo, Mitchell told ManUtd.com: "It’s a great experience, being involved with the first team.

"The first part of the tour was also the first time I’d been to America. It’s all new to me, and being around the first team makes you feel like a part of the group after stepping up from the Reserves.

"I didn’t know until the last minute that I would be going on the tour, so it was all a bit of a shock, but I’ve really enjoyed it so far."

Asked about the physical ability he showed against LA Galaxy, the former winger laughed: "It shows I’m a proper left-back now! I’m adapting to the position. You've got to be ready to come on, it could be after five minutes or it could be after 25 minutes. You’ve got to be prepared for any scenario and ready to make an impact.

"Any position I get asked to play, if the coaches think it’s right then I’ll give it a good shot. I’ve been playing there [at left-back] for a good seven or eight months now, so for me to be here [with the first team] after that amount of time, it just shows how much progress I can make.

"It was funny because when I went to play on the wing against Real Salt Lake, it was new to me again! I thought ‘I’ve not been here for a while’, and then after about five minutes Antonio [Valencia] got sent off which meant I was back at left-back. I felt at home there, though."