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Manchester United midfielder Toby Collyer has made a big revelation about his future as the summer transfer window kicks into full gear.
Collyer’s rise at United
Collyer joined United in 2022 from Brighton and Hove Albion. He arrived as a highly-rated midfield prospect, rejecting advances from Chelsea and Brentford to join United.
He has progressed well through the ranks and put pen to paper on a new contract last summer. Erik ten Hag was a known admirer of the player and personally attended his signing ceremony.
Collyer enjoyed a breakout 2024/25 campaign which saw him make a number of appearances for the first team. But, he could have amassed even more games were it not for consistently occurring injuries that halted his momentum.
The Englishman missed 28 games through three separate injuries last season and managed 13 appearances. He made his senior debut in last year’s Community Shield defeat to Manchester City.
With United expected to sign a midfielder this window, it recently emerged that Collyer is likely to go out on loan.
Now, the 21-year-old has confirmed that he is open to temporarily departing United in search of regular first-team minutes elsewhere.
Collyer admits he’s open to loan exit
Collyer told the Daily Mail, “My feeling at this moment is I want to stay. First and foremost, I want to be here and play as many games for Man United as possible. I’ll sit down with the manager and higher-ups and see what’s the best solution; the best way for me to develop, whether it’s stay here or go on loan.”
“The end goal for me is to play as many minutes as possible here, hopefully starting every week. ”
“So yeah, I’ll sit down with them and see what’s the best solution for that. I’ll just see how the next few weeks go and then we’ll go over those conversations.”
Collyer reflects on his time so far at United
Collyer also opened up on the frustrating injuries he has suffered, branding them “annoying.”
He explained, “I think it was a really good season for me, for experience and getting minutes. The one thing I’m annoyed about is the injuries I’ve picked up, but I feel as well that I’ve learnt so much from it.”
“Obviously when you’re playing at Man United in the Premier League, the physical demands are the best of the best so it’s about knowing your body. You’ve got to do the right things on and off the pitch, and then you can’t go 100 per cent every day, if you know what I mean.”
“You can apply yourself, but you need to understand when your body needs to rest. So then the next day you can then go back and get back to the top again.”
He named Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes as the two players he looks up to the most.
“I’d say the main thing that both of them have is calmness, which comes with experience. The main thing when I speak to them is about staying calm but also playing to my strengths. When you see players who make it into the first team, they all play exactly how they played at youth level.”
“They don’t all of a sudden change their game. It’s about utilising what’s got me to this position.”
Collyer added, “I feel like it’s just about focusing on your job really; not getting too overwhelmed or getting sidetracked. I think you’ve just got to stay calm and focus on your job. The manager gives us roles on the pitch. If we can do that and help each other to do that, then we’re going to put everyone in a better place.”
He stressed that as a United player, it’s important to learn how to cope with the increased scrutiny and criticism that comes with the territory.
Feature image Alex Pantling via Getty Images
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