Former Man Utd talent D’Mani Mellor makes international debut

Former Manchester United academy star D’Mani Mellor has reacted to making his eagerly awaited international debut.

Joining Manchester United’s academy as an 8-year-old, D’Mani Mellor came through the ranks before making his debut against FC Astana in 2019. He has played for several lower-league clubs since his departure in 2022.

Mellor was part of the United side that won the U18 Premier League North title in 2017/18, a team that was managed by Kieran McKenna. The striker currently plays for National League side Forest Green Rovers, where fellow former academy player Robbie Savage is head coach.

However, it has been a big week in Mellor’s career after earning his first international call-up and making his debut for the Yemen national team.

D’Mani Mellor reacts after Yemen debut

It may have been a match most Yemen players will want to forget, after losing 4-0 against the United Arab Emirates in their opening fixture of the 27th Gulf Cup, but it marked a career milestone for Mellor.

Mellor, who celebrated his 26th birthday last week, made his senior international debut as a substitute at half-time. In his 45-minute cameo, the former United academy graduate touched the ball 14 times, but he also made three tackles as UAE dominated the game.

This wasn’t the result Mellor would have wanted, but it gets him off the mark as an international player. The objective now is to continue making an impression in the upcoming games against Qatar and Bahrain.

Taking to Instagram after his Yemen debut, Mellor uploaded a picture from the match along with the following caption to express his pride at reaching such a milestone.

Mellor wrote: “Making my international debut. A proud moment that I’ll never forget and cherish, even though the result wasn’t what we wanted. The support from the fans was incredible from start to finish. Thank you for believing in us. We’ll learn, improve and come back stronger.”

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At Forest Green Rovers, Mellor has scored three goals in 18 appearances across all competitions. He will return with an extra spring in his step as a newly capped international player.