Manchester United’s written-off Premier League campaign has led to Ruben Amorim finding some gems and Tyler Fredricson has arguably been the most surprising one.
In the excitement that surrounded the likes of Godwill Kukonki, Ayden Heaven, and more, Tyler Fredricson came out of nowhere, impressed Ruben Amorim, and hasn’t looked back since.
Fredricson built on an impressive debut with another convincing display against Brentford and as a result, might have saved United millions in the market.
He’s now credited his seamless transition to the first-team to his mentor in the dressing room who he called a ‘great leader’ and an ‘example’ for him.
Tyler Fredricson’s Man Utd mentor
Amorim had been reticent about giving youngsters their debuts early on in his tenure because he bemoaned a lack of leaders in the dressing room.
Clearly, he didn’t think that the United squad was ready to help potential debutants thrive, and throwing them in at the deep end would hurt their development.
The change has happened recently as leaders have emerged in the dressing room, be it Noussair Mazraoui’s ‘quiet’ leadership, or Casemiro becoming influential again.
Fredricson, however, named United’s big success story as a ‘great leader’, singling out Harry Maguire as his mentor in the dressing room.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Fredricson said: “In my half of the pitch, Harry Maguire is a great leader and a great example for me. There’s quite a lot of tips, especially before my debut. He was helping me keep calm, keep it simple, just stuff like that.”
Harry Maguire has secured long-term future at Man Utd
It is a testament to Maguire’s resilience that he’s come back from the brink under various managers and is now a leader again.
United took up the option in his contract to extend it by one year but if Fredricson’s comments are any indication, he might have secured a long-term future as well.
Being an example to the young players in the latter stages of his career is something United will want to keep at the club, much like their move with Tom Heaton.
It helps that Maguire’s on-pitch career has received a second wind due to Amorim’s back-three system, so keeping him at Old Trafford long-term is a no-brainer.
The wage demands will be a topic if his eventual playing role is reduced, which it is likely to be, but Amorim wouldn’t want to lose the presence of a model professional in the dressing room.
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