Defender George Tanner became United’s first summer signing this afternoon as he put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal.
And having already built up a good level of League Two experience with a half-season loan spell at Morecambe last year, he comes to Brunton Park ready to push on and to enhance an already impressive reputation.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for me to come and play and show people what I can do.
“The manager has got high hopes for the season and hopefully we can do well. He wants young, talented players to come in and prove themselves and that’s what sold it to me really.”
“It’s nice to have a two-year deal because it means I can settle in and make a mark,” he continued. “I am just really excited to get playing.
“I’ve had loans at Morecambe and Salford, so I know what the league is about. Morecambe was my first loan and I think I played about 30 games there, which was really important for me.
“League Two is a lot different to Premier League 2. At that level you play a lot of tippy-tappy football, whereas League Two is more physical and I think I managed to cope with that well last year.
“I went to Morecambe not really knowing what to expect, but I think I did well and proved myself in the league and I just want to do that again here.”
As for what kind of player we can expect to see out on the pitch, he said: “I’d like to say I’m a modern-day full back.
“I like to get up and down the pitch and I love a tackle. I love to get stuck in and I’m very hard working.
“We’ve already got a good squad here that the manager is building so there’s plenty of competition for places. It’s been nice to meet all of the lads and I think there’ll be a few new boys still to come in.”
Having started his career as a youngster with Manchester United, we wondered what it had been like to cut his teeth in the game with a club of that size.
“I was lucky enough to spend about 12 years at Manchester United,” he said. “I was there from when I was eight and it’s such a massive club.
“I supported them as well, so it was a dream come true. I did learn a lot from the professionals there, you can’t go any higher than Man Utd, so it was good to learn from the first team players and see how they train, eat, prepare for games and look after themselves.
“I think that has helped me a lot and I think it’s made me very professional in the way I do things. I feel like I’ve had that professionalism since I very young age. I’ve always been very dedicated towards being a footballer and everything that comes with it.”
But having left Old Trafford behind, he said: “This is my club now and I’m here to prove to the fans that I’m a good player and we can do well this year.
“As a team you always want to do well and look towards the top seven places in the league. If we can get the momentum going this year I think it will be a good season.”
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