Europa League Final winners search for game time after leaving Man Utd has failed miserably

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Manchester United have seriously shifted some deadwood over the years.

Since the Erik ten Hag era began, Manchester United have probably seen a bigger revamp in terms of incoming and outgoings than Old Trafford has seen in the club’s history.

The manager‘s purge began in 2022 when he waved goodbye to the likes of James Garner, Tahith Chong and Andreas Pereira – who have actually all gone on to find solid roles at new clubs.

One player never made the Ten Hag reign, which was Timothy Fosu Mensah, who was deemed surplus to requirements by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2021. His quest for game time away from Carrington has failed miserably.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah leaves Manchester United for Bayer Leverkusen

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed that Fosu-Mensah would be allowed to leave the club in January 2021, should the right team come in for him.

“I’m not sure if Timo is going to stay or [if] he’s going to take an option now,” the manager said.

“He’s not played enough, so of course he’s been allowed to speak to clubs, with a view to leaving now in January. It’s difficult when you’ve got good players, talented players, and you can’t give them game time.”

A club did decide to take a punt on him. This was Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, who secured the Dutchman’s services for a measly £1.5m in the January transfer window.

The Dutch defender joined the United Academy from Ajax in 2014 and he has played 30 times for the Red Devils, with his last appearance coming as a substitute against RB Leipzig in December 2020.

His undoubted highlight was the Europa League Final victory under Jose Mourinho – where remarkably he started as a full-back.

Things haven’t gone to plan for Timothy Fosu-Mensah…

Fosu-Mensah will have been delighted with this move, finally getting the chance to prove himself as a first-team squad footballer in a new league – given the fact he was starved for game time at Old Trafford.

Fast forward two years, the now 25-year-old has only played 30 times for his new side… the exact same number of appearances he made at Manchester United.

He played his last Bayer Leverkusen game on the 29th matchday of the 2022/23 season (23 April 2023). He hasn’t even featured in the matchday squad for the new boss, Xabi Alonso, in the new season.

Leverkusen currently sit top of the Bundesliga, and with a star like Jeremie Frimpong at full-back, it really doesn’t look like Fosu-Mensah will get anywhere near the starting XI in the near future.

Matej Kovar will also be frustrated

His frustrations will be mimicked by a Manchester United summer departure in Matej Kovar. The Academy graduate joined Leverkusen in a permanent transfer in the summer 2023 transfer window.

He also left seeking out game time, but like Fosu-Mensah, has been forced to watch mostly from the sidelines this season.

Kovar does though have a bright future ahead of him, whereas for big Timothy Fosu-Mensah – the near future looks rather bleak.