Dermot Mee: Man United keeper opens up on challenges of role

Manchester United goalkeeper Dermot Mee has opened up on the pressures of being a goalkeeper.

The Northern Ireland Under-21 international started out at Walsall but has been part of Manchester United since 2015.

Mee has never played a senior minute of football for the Red Devils but has been involved in some squads.

Speaking to the club’s official website , he explained how he honed his skills as a youngster.

He explained, “even when I was three or four, I’d love going in goal in the sports hall. I don’t know where I got it from him. My mum is a sportsperson and played a load of camogie, Gaelic football and stuff. All my grandparents are Irish and my sister still plays Gaelic sport and my brother has connections with a club in Birmingham.”

Mee also stated, “I did play GAA too, in the holidays, when I had a chance, as kicking and catching is what I do, isn’t it?” The keeper also told the interviewer that he played rugby growing up in Birmingham, which again helped his hand-to-eye coordination.

Mee also elaborated on his experience away from Manchester United’s youth teams on loan. He added, “I did quite a few loan moves. When I went to Fulham, it was during Covid. One of the lads at Fulham was American and it was hard for him to get back over to play so I went down to play a few games. It was a lovely place and we ended up winning the Premier League South. United were one point off winning the Premier League North and, as I’d played enough games for both, I nearly got both medals.”

The 23-year-old also revealed the difficulties and unique challenges that come from being a goalkeeper.

He explained, “we keepers all understand it’s not the nicest of positions. We are all very different to the outfielders. You have to have that speciality and the majority want each other, even at other clubs, to succeed. One of the largest parts of my training week is getting the no.1 ready, so we can win the game and he can perform as well as he can for the whole team.”

Mee also explained that he has spent a lot of time in and around the first team and has a good relationship with captain Bruno Fernandes.

Moreover, he also stated that he understands his role is as much about ensuring the senior team is ready as it is about gaining minutes. He elaborated, “part of the process of penalties is that I am helping out the whole squad at the end, when the physical toll might be a lot more for the no.1 as he’s got to prepare for the game. So I’m taking that extra bit of slack for other people by doing the practice.”

The Northern Irish youth international also revealed that he loves playing for the club and being in the city, and that his mum used to have posters of Mark Hughes in her bedroom as a girl.

Due to the numerous managerial and coaching changes the club has overseen in recent years, Mee has had the opportunity to work with and learn from numerous people in football.

He explained, “there have been a lot of people to learn from – Richard Hartis, Jorge Vital, Craig Mawson. I’m learning how to get better as a goalkeeper and turning it into performances on the pitch. There are different ways to try to get better. I’ve had a few games with the Under-21s and, obviously, playing, that is the dream and sort of what you play football for. But there is a lot of joy I find from being in the Manchester United first-team squad and being a support system for a lot of other people.”

Whilst Mee loves being involved with the squad, he is aware that he is getting to an age where he needs to play more first-team minutes.

He explained, “I’m looking forward to my career developing and I will have to start playing and really kick on but, while I think the games are really enjoyable, you have to find the joy, day in and day out, to ensure you still get better.”

Mee also stated that he dreams of breaking into the Northern Ireland senior squad after representing them at every youth level. He explained, “I’ve played all the way through for Northern Ireland and had some really good experiences, travelling to places and it’s a different kettle of fish, international football.”

Finally, Mee spoke on the numerous role models he has had at the club, such as David de Gea, Dean Henderson, Lee Grant and Nathan Bishop, to name a few.

He explained that despite there being healthy competition in the keeping department, they all “work together and it’s really good, really competitive and we push each other as much as we can.” The keeper also added that due to the high pressure of their job, there is a union where they stand together and support one another.

He stated, “ask any goalkeeper and it’s what the union is for, to understand the pressure. It’s not very nice when you make a mistake and feel like you’ve let people down.”

Source: Wikipedia

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