Mason Holgate reveals all on why Man Utd trial was unsuccessful Everton defender Mason Holgate has opened up on why a trial with Manchester United before his move to the Toffees did not work out. The centre-back has been in fantastic form this season, becoming one of the first names on Carlo Ancelotti’s teamsheet, but the 23-year-old has revealed how things could have been all so different. Before making the move to Goodison Park in the summer of 2015 from Barnsley, Holgate had a trial with United and has discussed why things did not go his way. In an Instagram Live interview on New Era Global Sports’s page, Holgate said: “Yeah I went [to Man United] for a week, then I got injured and went back to Barnsley. It was in pre-season, the first team was away and I was just with the under-23s “At the time, I wanted to go somewhere and feel like part of a first team. I felt like if I tried to go to one of the bigger clubs I would have been back into a U23s setup, which isn’t what I wanted. “I’d just played 20 games in League One at 18 years old, which obviously as a defender is good. So I felt like it would have been a step backwards to go to 23s football. “I wanted to feel like I was going in to, not starting every week, but being in a first-team setup.” A move to Everton eventually materialised, but Holgate admitted it was not an easy switch for a 18-year-old player to make. He added: “I think Everton is a huge, huge club and I couldn’t turn it down – especially when you’d seen people walk the same pathway as me. John Stones, Brendan Galloway – people signed from lower league teams were getting chances. “It’s something I definitely wanted to be involved in straight away. “I basically knew from the season before that I had to go, it was something I’d got my head around but no matter how much you think about it when you’re 18 – moving away, doing a medical and then moving straight away, it was something I found a bit difficult. “Now I love it and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. A lot of people my age were going to uni, so I think my mum and dad tried to sell it to me like that, but it’s not really like that. “Your friends who go to uni still live with people, whereas I was out on my own. I didn’t know how to turn a washing machine on, make food or anything! The first few months are a massive shock. “But I think that’s where Everton are class. That’s why there’s a path through for people, the club makes you feel at home. “Even though it was difficult at times being on my own, the club would make me feel a lot more comfortable, so I didn’t feel like I’d moved from one environment into another.” The post Mason Holgate reveals all on why Man Utd trial was unsuccessful appeared first on teamtalk.com.

Everton defender Mason Holgate has opened up on why a trial with Manchester United before his move to the Toffees did not work out.

The centre-back has been in fantastic form this season, becoming one of the first names on Carlo Ancelotti’s teamsheet, but the 23-year-old has revealed how things could have been all so different.

Before making the move to Goodison Park in the summer of 2015 from Barnsley, Holgate had a trial with United and has discussed why things did not go his way.

In an Instagram Live interview on New Era Global Sports’s page, Holgate said: “Yeah I went [to Man United] for a week, then I got injured and went back to Barnsley. It was in pre-season, the first team was away and I was just with the under-23s

“At the time, I wanted to go somewhere and feel like part of a first team. I felt like if I tried to go to one of the bigger clubs I would have been back into a U23s setup, which isn’t what I wanted.

“I’d just played 20 games in League One at 18 years old, which obviously as a defender is good. So I felt like it would have been a step backwards to go to 23s football.

“I wanted to feel like I was going in to, not starting every week, but being in a first-team setup.”

A move to Everton eventually materialised, but Holgate admitted it was not an easy switch for a 18-year-old player to make.

He added: “I think Everton is a huge, huge club and I couldn’t turn it down – especially when you’d seen people walk the same pathway as me. John Stones, Brendan Galloway – people signed from lower league teams were getting chances.

“It’s something I definitely wanted to be involved in straight away.

“I basically knew from the season before that I had to go, it was something I’d got my head around but no matter how much you think about it when you’re 18 – moving away, doing a medical and then moving straight away, it was something I found a bit difficult.

“Now I love it and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. A lot of people my age were going to uni, so I think my mum and dad tried to sell it to me like that, but it’s not really like that.

 

 

“Your friends who go to uni still live with people, whereas I was out on my own. I didn’t know how to turn a washing machine on, make food or anything! The first few months are a massive shock.

“But I think that’s where Everton are class. That’s why there’s a path through for people, the club makes you feel at home.

“Even though it was difficult at times being on my own, the club would make me feel a lot more comfortable, so I didn’t feel like I’d moved from one environment into another.”

 

 

The post Mason Holgate reveals all on why Man Utd trial was unsuccessful appeared first on teamtalk.com.

Robert McCarthy