By Dan Coombs

Demetri Mitchell says Solskjaer offered him a chance, before injury struck

Demetri Mitchell was among the players released this summer at Manchester United, and it was not a surprise. In fact at 23-years-old with just one first team appearance, it was overdue.

Mitchell has gone 18 months without a game at any level after a succession of injuries which held him back after a promising loan spell at Hearts.

He is now without a club trying to earn a deal, having recently been on trial with Sunderland, although the Echo report Championship side Luton Town are also keen on the defender.

It could have been very different for Mitchell, as he says at the end of the 2018/19 season he received a nod from manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he was in line for an opportunity.

Photo by Kieran Galvin/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Speaking to PA, Mitchell explained that a further injury killed his last hope of a United breakthrough.

Mitchell said: “I spoke to the current manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, at the back of last season.

“I was quite surprised myself because I’d never worked with him and he was new to me, anyway. He said like he wants me involved and there’s a future here for me.

“I was just on the cusp of getting back fit and then I came back training and my knee just wasn’t right at the time.

“I had a little few niggles and stuff. It just wasn’t right for me, so up until then it was still a possibility for me.

“I think it was just bad luck, bad timing. Obviously Brandon (Williams) has come in and done great. It’s just unlucky me, really.”

New start

Mitchell says he has been fit since February and narrowly missed the window to get a loan in the second half of the season.

He was back training at Carrington in July after United made the facilities open to released players, to help them attempt to relaunched their careers.

Interest in Mitchell appears high already and it won’t be too long before he is able to clinch a deal.

Wherever he does land, he needs to play and get minutes on the clock.

His one start for United against Crystal Palace in 2017 seems like a distant memory, although it was notable that Timothy Fosu-Mensah made his first appearance for the club since that game, last month against the Eagles, after overcoming his own injury and loan battles.

That would indicate Solskjaer was genuine in his open-mindedness to give Mitchell another chance, but ultimately his time ran out.

Now he needs to get playing again and start showing why he was once such a highly rated young left-back, and try and work his way back to the Premier League.