Ritchie De Laet admits making his United debut on Sunday against
Hull City was a dream come true.
The young defender arrived at Old Trafford in a low-key move
from Stoke City in January and has since made 14 appearances for
the Reserves. But he never expected to play under Sir Alex before
the season’s end.
In fact, even when the boss announced his team to play Hull at
the KC Stadium, De Laet still wasn’t convinced he was about to run
out for the Reds.
“During the team-talk, the manager said Richard, and of course
there’s Richard Eckersley in the squad as well,” the 20-year-old
told MUTV.” So I wasn’t sure until I asked
somebody else and they told me I was playing left-back.
“Then I couldn’t think anymore. Everything went black before my
eyes and I was thinking: ‘I just need to do well’. When I came off
they said I’d done well so I’ll watch it again tonight and see how
I did.”
De Laet was one of United’s best players on the pitch, covering
a lot of ground down the left wing and making a number of crucial
tackles. For those who have seen him at centre-back for the
Reserves, his role out wide raised a few eyebrows, but he revealed
he’s comfortable playing anywhere across the back four.
“I’m an all-round defender, to be fair. I like playing on the
right and left because I enjoy going forward. When you’re
centre-back you can’t do that all day, although I do try! But I
really enjoyed today.”
His appearance at the KC Stadium capped a memorable seven days
for the Belgian defender.
“I was given a new contract earlier in the week,” he revealed,
“so it’s been a great week, signing a contract and making my senior
United debut. I didn’t think I’d play a league game this season
when I arrived from Stoke… so you can say it’s been like a
dream.
“I need to thank [Reserve team coaches] Warren Joyce and Ole
Gunnar Solskjaer for believing in me and giving me the opportunity
to play with the Reserves. [Sir Alex] gave me a chance today and I
think I grabbed it. I can enjoy my summer now because I’ve made my
debut
“Hopefully I can push on next season and maybe go on loan or be
in the first-team squad.”