Relegation does not have to mean that you won’t be plying your trade in the Premier League next season. James Maddison and Youri Tielemans secured moves to Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa after Leicester City’s shock demotion last term, after all.
Gini Wijnaldum, Andy Robertson and Xherdan Shaqiri – three members of Liverpool’s 2019 Champions League winning squad – finished in the division’s bottom three with Newcastle, Hull and Stoke before ending up at Anfield too.
So even if Rob Edwards’ valiant Luton Town do end up heading back to the Championship, who would really be surprised to see Teden Mengi – the defender let go by Manchester United last summer – gracing the top-flight again in 2024/25.
Mengi, alongside Carlton Morris, Elijah Adebayo, Chiedozie Ogbene and the talismanic Ross Barkley, is a big reason why Luton – perhaps one of the least-fancied clubs in modern Premier League history – are still in with a very real shot at survival in mid-April, albeit aided of course by the points deductions suffered by Everton and Nottingham Forest.
Former Manchester United starlet tipped for Aston Villa
Still only 21, Mengi was regarded very highly behind the scenes at Carrington before injuries impacted his progress. And you can see why.
Putting those fitness issues behind him, Mengi has taken to the Premier League like the proverbial duck to water, Edwards labelling his progress ‘brilliant’ and ‘astounding’ prior to February’s Rasmus Hojlund-inspired 2-1 defeat by Man United in February.
Stan Collymore, the former England Under 21 international, cannot speak highly enough of Mengi. So much so that, should Aston Villa find themselves in the market for a centre-half this summer, Collymore would happily recommend the Manchester-born stopper to Unai Emery’s Champions League-chasing team.
“I can’t be the only one who’s noticed that he has all of the background, the ambition to leave United at 21 to go it alone,” Collymore, who spent three years at Villa Park between 1997 and 2000, tells Caught Offside.
“I’ve been really impressed by his performances and I’m sure he’ll be on several ‘big clubs’ radars. He’s played for England at every age level so will have had an A+ club and international grounding.
“Personally, I’d drive him to Villa Park tomorrow if Unai Emery fancies it.”
The irony will not be lost on Man United fans that a defender who had a reputation for being a little injury-prone has featured far more regularly in the Premier League this season than Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Raphael Varane, all three having spent spells on the sidelines.
Perhaps, if Man United had not opted to let Mengi go, the homegrown talent would have done like Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho and made a first-team spot his own under Erik ten Hag.
A massive success at Luton Town
“As soon as I heard about Luton, I had to do what was best for me,” Mengi, who made two first-team appearances for United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and had a loan spell at Wayne Rooney’s Derby County, tells The Times.
“Rob just asked me to describe myself. He asked me what I was like under pressure, and I said; ‘I don’t really feel under pressure. I feel like I’ve been under pressure for most of my life’.
“He said; ‘What can we expect from you?’. I said; ‘Confidence. I like to play football, be on the ball, good passing, quick, strong and dominant’. Then Rob said; ‘What kind of person are you? What are you like with your family?’.
“From that, I just knew this man actually cares about me. I’m very close to my family. Not many people ask me about my life outside of football. I’m happy that Rob has come into my life. It’s what I needed. He’s taken me under his wing and given me so much confidence to just go and show what I can do.”