Forget Ronaldo… Former Man Utd player admits which club legend he absolutely loved

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester United sold Teden Mengi to Luton Town last summer and he’s had a breakout year, not he’s discussed his icon growing up.

For years, Teden Mengi was a hugely exciting academy prospect within Carrington and had been tipped as the club’s eventual first-team central defender.

That dream ultimately came to an end last summer when he was sold to Luton Town for an undisclosed fee. Here, he’s thrived and been a regular in Rob Edwards’ side.

He’s absolutely shown himself to be of the level required to be playing Premier League football with his display against Liverpool earlier this season being particularly great.

Now the 21-year-old has been interviewed by The Times where he revealed who his childhood United hero was.

Teden Mengi raves about Rio Ferdinand

Speaking with The Times, Mengi was discussing a moment which happened between himself and Rio Ferdinand, before Mengi joined Derby County on loan.

He said: En route to Pride Park, Mengi received a message from Rio Ferdinand. “He dropped me a line saying: ‘Good luck, stay focused’. Every now and then he will drop me a line”.

Mengi then continued to reveal that Ferdinand was his childhood United hero, rejecting Cristiano Ronaldo in the process.

“I am honoured to be in contact with Rio. He’s such a role model. As well as the good player he was, he’s just a good person as well. Growing up a United fan, Ronaldo was everyone’s icon but mine was just Rio.”

How has Teden Mengi done for Luton Town?

After a strong season to date, Mengi has been attracting interest from other Premier League sides including Crystal Palace.

This impressive form has seen him score a FotMob rating of 6.5, which for a defender in a leaky Luton side, is fairly impressive especially as he is in the 97th percentile in defensive actions.

On his return to Old Trafford though, he made a real statement as he played the entire 90 minutes. Mengi won 100 per cent of his tackles that day and made nine defensive actions.

A player with a huge future in football and probably the Premier League, he’s a testament to how excellent Carrington is at producing top-level talents.