Manchester United youngster Shola Shoretire has revealed he takes inspiration from Juan Mata, whom he claims is among the smartest players he's played alongside.
The teenager made his debut at Old Trafford back in February, as a substitute against Newcastle.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has continued to reward those who impress in the youth ranks.
Shoretire has been on United's books since 2014 but has regularly played above his age grade meaning he's had to find ways of combating physical deficiencies.
The 17-year-old admits it has helped the mental side of his game and highlighted Spaniard Mata as a player whom he admires for doing similarly.
He told the club's website : “I think since I started playing football, I’ve always played at least one year up. 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.”
Mata has been at Old Trafford since January 2014 and is now playing under his fourth permanent manager.
The playmaker has scored 51 times in 273 appearances.
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Now aged 33 the World Cup winner is seeing the next generation flourish on the red half of Manchester.
One of those is Mason Greenwood, the striker enjoying a breakthrough year in 2020 and has become a regular under Solskjaer.
Marcus Rashford also enjoyed a swift rise from the club's academy to the first team and Shoretire admits he looks to pick the brains of both players as he attempts to follow in their footsteps.
He added: ”Like, when I’m in and around the training ground, on the pitch training, whenever we’re in between drills, I am always asking them questions because we’ve shared quite a few of the same experiences.
“I can learn from them, say from some of the experiences they’ve had in the past or things they want to help me with, they can advise me. So I can learn a lot from them on a daily basis.”
Shoretire ended up making three first team appearances last term but faces plenty of competition in attack.
Solskjaer could yet add more quality in the final third with a deal for Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho thought to be edging closer.
