Juan Mata has urged Shola Shoretire to 'keep going' as he pushes for a breakthrough at Manchester United.
Shoretire, 17, has had a calendar year to saviour at Old Trafford after he signed a new long-term contract and made his debut in the Premier League shortly after.
The teenage forward also became the youngest player to ever represent United in European competition when he beat Norman Whiteside's record with a cameo against Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
Shoretire will be hoping to make an impact for United in pre-season and could yet earn a permanent promotion to the first-team if he manages to impress manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
In order to do so Shoretire has been carefully studying the play of veteran midfielder Mata and named the diminutive playmaker as his mentor at the club.
“I think since I started playing football, I’ve always played at least one year up," Shoretire told official club media. "I think that has helped me a lot because you have to learn the game quicker as I’m not one of the big ones.
“So you have to be quite technical, I think, and I look up to Juan Mata. He’s not the tallest or the strongest but is probably one of the cleverest players I’ve seen play and played with. He is always two steps ahead. I admire him a lot.”
Now the Spaniard has responded to the praise and wished the teenager all the best as he looks to make it himself as a professional footballer.
"Keep going Shola, it's a joy to watch you play!" Mata tweeted on Saturday.
Shoretire made three senior appearances for United across all competitions last season.
