Manchester United fans got a shock when the teamsheet for Thursday night's Premier League clash against Crystal Palace was released, with Timothy Fosu-Mensah selected to make his first appearance for the club in more than three years by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The versatile Dutch defender - who made his Premier League debut in 2016, two years after arriving from Ajax - was drafted in alongside Scott McTominay for the match in south London with first-choice left-backs Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams both injured.
It marks Fosu-Mensah's first outing for United since he featured against Palace in a season-ending 2-0 win at Old Trafford on May 21, 2017 - a span of 1,152 days.
The 22-year-old will be very familiar with Selhurst Park, having made 24 appearances during a season-long loan spell at Palace in 2017-18.
Fosu-Mensah later joined Fulham on loan for the 2018-19 season, appearing 13 times in total before suffering a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury that led to surgery and his early return to United.
In April, United triggered their option to extend the player's expiring contract by a further 12 months, but a new long-term deal has yet to be agreed.
Speaking in April, Fosu-Mensah confirmed his ambitions to remain a United player.
"Who doesn’t want to play for United? So, yeah, I’m definitely eager to come back and to do well and to help the team and to give my all, my heart for this great club,” he said.
“My goal is to be a regular for the club, to win so many trophies for the club, to have memorable experiences with this club. That’s the goal.
“I think that’s everyone’s goal who plays in the team for Manchester.”
