Teden Mengi’s up and down time at Derby County continues. The Manchester United teenager is picking up great experience.
Two weeks ago Mengi’s first start at centre-backs ended in disaster as Derby lost 4-0.
Then last week he was lauded by Derby fans for a coming of age performance as they held play-off hopefuls Barnsley 0-0 after a surprise recall to the side.
Mengi earned another start at the weekend against Millwall, where he played well, but lost his marker as the Rams conceded a winner.
So Mengi was back on the substitutes bench last night as Derby took on Brentford.
Comeback kid
Wayne Rooney’s side struggled without him, and were 2-0 down at half-time. Mengi was thrown on.
A very impressive 45 minutes later and Derby finished the game at 2-2.
The United teenager celebrated the moment his young teammate Luie Sibley struck a late equaliser.
Mengi was a key part of Derby’s reshuffled defence as they mounted a comeback. He was part of a back-three as Rooney switched formation.
Championship top scorer Ivan Toney could not find a way past him, with his 28th goal of the season coming in the first half from a penalty.
Mengi got Derby’s defence back on track, and even managed to create one chance, in a display which underlined his growing confidence at this level.
No, he’s not perfect, yet
Teden Mengi is not perfect. That’s why he is out on loan. He needs to sharpen up his game and learn what it is like to play at a competitive first team level before being thrown into the Manchester United deep end.
Will he be good enough to make it as a United player? That remains to be seen. This loan is a crucial part of his development to try and get there eventually.
It’s fantastic for Mengi to be getting game time at just 18 at Championship level. It shows he is on the right track,
He has had an up and down time at Derby so far. This was one of the highs.
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