Tim Fosu-Mensah admits this week has been an emotional time in his life following the news that his former AFC Ajax team-mate Abdelhak Nouri has suffered brain damage.
The 20-year-old sustained heart rhythm problems during the game against Werder Bremen last Saturday, and his chances of recovery from the damage have tragically been reported as nil. Since then, the football world has rallied around, Blind and Fosu-Mensah are both former Ajax players who knew Nouri personally, yet Tim were particularly close to the player after rising through the Amsterdam club’s famed academy together. MUTV spoke to Fosu-Mensah before Friday morning’s training session at UCLA…
Firstly Tim, it must have been a tough couple of days for you with the news from Ajax?
Yeah definitely. I played with him since the age of eight so it is very sad, and a very difficult time for me as well with what has happened to him.
With that in mind, has it been hard to keep training this week?
As the saying goes, 'life goes on' but every time when I wake up it is the first thing that I am thinking about. It hurts me a lot, I speak to my old team-mates at Ajax and we try to be strong together.
How have you found the week at UCLA?
To be fair, very well. I enjoy every session and I enjoy every day being here. It is difficult, what happened, but when I play football I try to think about nothing but football. After is after. When I am back I will try to have contact with a couple of mates but when I am on the pitch, all of my focus is on the pitch.
Are the new signings settling in well?
I think they are settling in very well because this group... we have is a wonderful group. Everyone is so kind so they feel at home straightaway. There is definitely a great team spirit. It is very nice to know the players are very good, if you need help then they help you, so the new signings are settling in very well.
Is this summer a good opportunity for you to impress the manager and stake your claim?
Yeah, I train hard, I do my best and every opportunity I get I try to grab it.