Melbourne Victory's George Timotheou reflects on his first month with new club

A chance to play, a chance at consistent minutes, a chance to show what he has to offer.

And when Melbourne Victory coach Tony Popovic gave it to him last weekend, against one of the best team's in the world, he knew he had made the right call for his football career.

The 24-year-old was entrusted as part of Popovic's back-five during Victory's 4-1 loss to Manchester United.

The loss, and a passing mistake, were not enough to dampen his spirits during his debut for his new club; and marking some of the best footballers in the world - Marcus Rushford, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes - helped.

"To play against ... these guys at the peak of their careers, and the very best in the game, that was one of the coolest things," he said.

"It was an incredible experience and just very grateful that I got the chance to play the full game, which was really rewarding because I only just joined the club, so I've obviously made quite a good impression in the first couple of weeks."

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Three months ago Timotheou was struggling to be named in his former club Adelaide United's match-day squad, but if his first month at Victory is anything to go by, everything is about to change.

Timotheou made the move to the Melbourne club in search of more minutes, after he spent the majority of last season on the sidelines waiting for his chance to play.

Popovic promised him more minutes, and after getting a taste against the English Premier League side, it has only made him hungrier for more.

"It's always a big thing when the coach believes in you and puts his trust in you straightaway. Obviously, I wasn't expecting to go straight into the team," he admitted.

"It's a massive confidence boost to go to a new club and already be picked.

"One of the main reasons why I came to Melbourne was to work with Tony and already, in the first couple of weeks, I've learned so many things in the short period of time that I've been at the club.

"We've only been training for what? Nearly a month now, and I already feel like 10 times a better player than a month ago. So imagine what he can do to my game over the next one or two years.

"He's put a lot of belief and trust in me, and it shows that he wants to get the best out of me. It's been really really positive so far, and hopefully it just keeps on going. Onwards and upwards from here."

Timotheou's next test with Victory will be on August 3, when the side faces Western United in the Australia Cup's round of 32.

He said they wanted to build on their performance against United, and after their 2021 cup win, they were aiming to go all the way again in this year's knock-out competition.

"Our goal showed exactly how to expose a team when playing with a back five," he said.

"It was an amazing team goal and I don't think many people are actually talking about how good of a goal it was, like it was six passes from a goal kick, from back to front, and a great finish.

"I think that if we can do that to Manchester United, then imagine what we can do this season and beyond."

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