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Old 16-01-2017, 10:24 PM   #27
Andi Istiabudi
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Default Re: Manchester United's Academy - News and Rumors



MARAUDING MITCHELL LEARNING ON THE JOB

Demi Mitchell was always considered a forward in the Manchester United youth team and scored a hat-trick when deployed up front against Newcastle's Under-18s in August, 2014.

At the start of that campaign, he was the only Red to score in the opening six Academy league games, and carried much of the attacking responsibility. He was part of England's successful Under-17 squad that won the European Championship earlier that same year meaning his reputation was growing rapidly.

Unfortunately, injuries curtailed his progress, but he has re-emerged this term and caught the eye in an unfamiliar position - as a full-back or wing-back. It may be a shock for anybody who saw the schoolboy prospect regularly upsetting defences to see him in such a role, but he has filled in well for Joe Riley and been one of the stand-out players of late in the Reserves.

His first competitive appearance in this new slot included an assist for Devonte Redmond's goal and a tremendous performance during the 2-0 win over Sparta Prague in the Premier League International Cup. A fierce strike, which went in off the underside of the bar, opened the scoring against Middlesbrough in the same competition. "It's quite a transition from up front to left-back," he smiles. "But I'm still scoring goals."

The opening game of 2017 for the Reserves ended in a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, the team his parents supported when he was growing up. Regan Poole's early red card left United with an uphill battle but it was Mitchell's trickery down the left, and astute pass to Sean Goss, that led to the equaliser on the night. Next up, it's Liverpool at Anfield.

Demi is right. Even at left-back, his attacking instincts are not being radically diminished. And he is starting to come to terms with the responsibility required to perform such a role.

"I think I've adapted well," he tells ManUtd.com. "I'm just learning on the job but it's been good learning to play in a different position. I'd never played there before. I like to get forward and find it comfortable from left-back. I just need to learn the positions to take up as I've not played there before.

"I had done it in training and in some friendlies we have had and I did well. We've had a few injuries at left-back and Nicky Butt said, as I'd done well in training, he would give me the opportunity to play there and see how I cope with it."

Mitchell is clearly determined to educate himself about the position and gives a fascinating insight into his homework. "I've just been looking at other players in the Premier League," he relays. "People like Hector Bellerin [at Arsenal] and Antonio Valencia here. Antonio was a winger and, even though he's on the right side, it's the same position. So it's good to learn from attacking players like them.

"I've also looked at how Luke Shaw gets down the left side at full-back and someone else I've studied is Ashley Cole as he was a winger early on but played his whole career at left-back and did so for England as well."

The words of advice and reassurance from coach Butt and also captain Axel Tuanzebe are assisting the youngster, who turned 20 last week. He's learning on the job, as he says, but learning fast.

"I like to play with the game in front of me so there are real benefits to it," he stresses. "It's an opportunity to get forward and not just be defensive but you also have to remember the defensive work and make sure you're switched on. We don't have any out-and-out wingers really so it's easy to get down the sides.

"If we had a winger like, say Ryan Giggs, then you'd have to hold back a bit but our wingers like to play more inside as midfielders, people like Callum Gribbin and Tosin Kehinde, so I can get down the flank. To be fair, since I've been operating there, having Axel play next to me helps a lot as he talks all the time as captain and tells me when players are coming over and stuff like that.

"I think I was ready for it as Nicky watched the friendly games under Warren Joyce and thought I could be a wing-back or a full-back because I'm versatile on that side. Nicky has won pretty much everything so it's great to learn from him.

"It's a learning curve but he tells me what to do and where to go in games," he continues. "When I'm out wide, I can sometimes hear him talking to me and telling me what to do. Maybe it's to stay back and catch my breath as it is quite a demanding role, getting forward and back. You've to get up and down so I just have to manage it and work on my fitness but I'm feeling quite good at the moment."

A former member of the much-respected Fletcher Moss junior team, he has been with United since an early age and benefited from working under the likes of Tommy Martin, Paul McGuinness and Joyce. His exceptional pace has always been a strength but he admits he is only starting to appreciate its chief benefits now he is able to take on defenders with plenty of space to run into in front of him.

"My speed is my strong point," he asserts. "I don't think, growing up, I realised how quick I was. Everyone used to say: 'You're fast and need to use your speed more', but I didn't really see I was that fast. I just thought I was the same speed as everyone else and didn't really realise it was one of my qualities.

"Now, I'm starting to appreciate my pace is an asset and I'm starting to use it more. Over the first 10-20 metres, it helps when taking players on as you can just burst past them. You have the whole picture in front of you and can just run at players, whip balls in or go inside and link up with your team-mates."

As a schoolboy who idolised United legend Giggs, Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho, Demi Mitchell may not have envisaged carving out a career at left-back. However, with football changing to such an extent that the men on the flank are often becoming key game-changers, it is a position he is looking more and more at home in.

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