Daniel M (USA): Who are the toughest defenders to get past in the Premier League? How about in international games?
“That is a tough question, Daniel. I think an individual is different to a unit. Some teams defend really well as units and it’s teams like Burnley, for example, who do everything as a four. So if one pushes up, they all push up. If one drops, they all drop. It can be, at times, difficult to find space. But then there are some top individual defenders – van Dijk, Ramos. I thought, when we played against Real Madrid in a friendly, that Varane was a player who was quite tough. So there are a few people.”
Ravichand M (Singapore): Of all the tattoos you have, which is the most significant one to you?
“My most significant tattoo is probably the one on my left arm for my nana, who died when I was younger. It’s probably that one that means the most to me and is dedicated the most space for one person, so yeah.”
Matt D (UK): Do you think you could still hit the lamppost on the other side of the green on Button Lane where you lived?
“Er, to be honest, Matt, I might have to go back and just try it! I’m not sure, It’s something, when I was a kid, that I used to do all the time. When I look back it’s difficult to do from 30 or 40 yards, just striking it off a lamppost and that sort of thing. It’s a difficult skill but I’m sure, if I practised it again, I’d be able to do it.”
Lucky A (Nigeria): How do you cope with the pressure of being United’s no.10?
“I think it’s ironic your name is Lucky because I feel lucky. I feel privileged to wear this shirt that has been worn by so many great players in United’s history. You know, for me, I don’t feel the pressure. It’s just about carrying on following in people’s footsteps and people’s journeys really. But I’m my own player. I do things my way. I’m going to improve in my own way, which is obviously slightly different to the other players. They all have different qualities and reached different heights in their careers. Hopefully, I can be here long enough to do that myself as well.”
Alison W (UK): You and Luke Shaw seem to have a good bond on the pitch, do you work on that in training or is it just natural?
“I think a lot of it is natural, Alison. I think the qualities that we both have complement each other quite well. More often than not, it’s all about timing: you know you can make a pass look beautiful just because of the timing of his run and vice versa. It’s something we obviously do work on but I think naturally, even when I used to play as a forward, I found myself on the left and always encouraged him to get around me and isolate one person with the two of us and we create chances.”
