What do expect from Man United?
Thomas: “I think, first and foremost, you can see it’s a Man Utd team that got more confidence, definitely. I think Ruben and his coaching staff have done a very good job. It’s clearly been a tough year for them and for him. I admire him a lot for that, to go through a very tricky spell with a lot of setbacks. To get through that with that focus is well done. You can see the bits he’s been working on, it’s more and more clear. I think it’s also clear that he plays not only a system but a specific way, which they are very good at and they’re getting better and better at. Right now, they are in a moment where they have more or less every key player available and found his team. They played more or less the same team in the last four or five games, so we know exactly what to expect from them. I think they have an incredibly dangerous front three. They’re starting to get more up to pace and we need to close them down. On the flip side, make sure they run a little bit more backwards because we’re attacking.”
How pleased are you to see how well Bryan Mbeumo is doing? I imagine you’re not surprised at that?
Thomas: “No, I’m not surprised. Of course, I’ll step out of my role at Tottenham! When you work with a player for six years, you get a close relationship. To see him develop from being a young man, 19 years old when he moved to London and Brentford and left six years later, going into one of the biggest clubs in the world with all that focus and the way he stepped up. For me, looking from the outside, maybe a little bit biased, I think he’s been their best offensive player. He can create, he can score, he works hard, he’s a team player. He’s the perfect example, in my opinion, for a player what I call about attitude, confident but humble. He’s a top player. I think he will have fantastic success. I hope that for him, not tomorrow, but in general I hope and wish him all the best.”
