Former Manchester United academy goalkeeper, Ondrej Mastny, has opened up on the difficulties he faced during his time at Old Trafford.
The Czech keeper joined the youth team in 2018 but was sold back to his former club in 2023 after never having made an appearance for the senior side.
The 22 year old now plays his football for FC Vysočina Jihlava back in his home country, making 12 appearances so far this season.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News (MEN), the former United keeper opened up on his struggles during his time in England.
“I was a bit down when I was in England and not playing. But I have got a second wind since I came home”.
Mastny was only 16 years old when he left his homeland in search of making it at Old Trafford.
However, disaster struck as he was injured early on in his debut season and failed to make a strong first impression at the club like he dreamed of doing.
“It was hard because it is a new country, new team, new environment and new people,” he said. “I am not the type of person who the room is for them. I am not the guy who just speaks to everyone, especially when I was 16 and didn’t speak the language”.
“I was hoping to play games and show what I can do on the pitch, which unfortunately I couldn’t. I was sad after that season, I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve. The next season was better, I played almost everything but then Covid came.”
Mastny could not travel back to his home country during the pandemic and lived with a host family during that difficult time.
However, the second season went much better before Covid, as he became a regular for the Under 18 and Under 21 teams, played in the UEFA Youth League, FA Youth Cup and Football League Trophy. He also had the opportunity to train with legendary United keeper, David de Gea.
Speaking on the experience he claimed, “it is always nice to have someone like him to support and encourage you. They (the first team goalkeepers) tried to help me and I tried to learn”.
The 22 year old was also proud of his ability to bounce back from a challenging first year and asserted, “I think I did well to come through the injuries and setbacks and the second season was almost a reward for it. Playing Youth Cup, Youth League, PL 2 and all those things. Being with the first team It is a great experience I would never forget”.
The keeper had the chance to stay at United last summer but a combination of lack of playing time and a chance to return home to his family was just too much to turn down.
“It definitely wasn’t easy (to leave),” he added. “I was thinking about it a lot but I was tired of not playing. I was away from family and friends and all I wanted to do was play. I wasn’t playing much and that was my main focus”.
Mastny now has the ambition to play his part in bringing his current side to the first division in the Czech Republic and make it back to one of Europe’s top leagues in the long-term future.
His confidence stems from the experience that he had collected from his time in Manchester.
“I feel more confident, 100 per cent. I have been at United so you have that thing where you are good at playing football! I have been my own since I was 16 in a different country, it made me stronger. I went through injuries and some hard times. I believe in myself”.
It is clear that the vast majority of players who play at youth level for United will never make it at the club, but the Red Devils have a proud tradition of their players going on to have successful careers elsewhere, even if they don’t make the grade at Carrington. Hopefully, Mastny does find his way back to a higher rung on the football ladder in the not too distant future.
Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.
