Andrew Tutte believes joining Shrewsbury Town on loan can help him achieve his long term dream of making the grade at Manchester City, the richest club in the world.
The highly rated Liverpudlian, capped by England at under-19 and 20 level, is keeping one eye on the weather forecast as he targets an immediate debut for Town at Accrington Stanley on Saturday with a midfield vacancy up for grabs owing to Craig Disley being ruled out with a thigh injury.
Tutte, 20, said he was happy to have made the temporary switch to Shrewsbury but admitted his ultimate ambition remained the same – pushing for a first team place at star-studded City.
“As I’ve been there since the age of eight, they are the only club I’ve wanted to play for,” said Tutte.
“It’s still the only club I want to play for, in their first team.
“I’m under contract there until the summer so we’ll see what happens then. A couple of the younger lads had a chance in the first team last season so you’ve just got to keep your head down, work hard and you never know what’s around the corner.”
Tutte regularly gets the chance to train with City’s big names and also had his appetite whetted when, having impressed in the reserves, he was called up by Roberto Mancini for the first team’s pre-season tour to America, playing alongside the likes of Joe Hart, Patrick Vieira, Adam Johnson and Emmanuel Adebayor.
“That was a great experience and I was involved in three games,” said Graham Turner’s latest loan capture.
“It was great to play against somebody like Thierry Henry when we played New York Red Bulls.
“I also got to come on for the last 15 minutes against Sporting Lisbon which was great as I was up against Pedro Mendes. I was made up to get on the tour and I did quite well over there so I was pleased.”
Tutte readily accepts he’s got a tough task ahead of him to push for a place in City’s Premier League side given the riches at Mancini’s disposal, but he’s determined to give it his best shot.
“I’ve been at City since I was eight when I got scouted playing on a local park,” he said.
“Being around the first team players every day is great. I get to train with them sometimes and it’s good to learn from them. You look at them and it’s only going to help you become a better player.
“I like Nigel de Jong. He’s always busy and loves getting in a tackle.
“Craig Bellamy was always good to the young lads when he was there. He would say if you needed any advice to go and see him and have a word so he’s a good lad.”
For now, though, Tutte, a Liverpool season ticket holder who actually lives in Anfield – “five minutes in the car from the ground” – is excited about his latest chance to widen his football education with Shrewsbury having enjoyed a two-month loan spell at League One Rochdale earlier this season.
“It’s going to be good to get some more experience,” said Tutte.
“I know Joe Hart back at City came from Shrewsbury but I didn’t get chance to talk to him about the club as it was all sorted quickly.
“We’ll see how the weather is but hopefully the game is on this Saturday. I’ve just got to keep my head down in training and hopefully work hard for my place in the team.
“I only met Graham Turner for the first time when I came down for training on Monday but I’ve heard he’s a good manager so I’m looking forward to working with him.
“As soon as I knew I was coming here, I looked at the league table and Shrewsbury are doing well at the moment so hopefully I can help them stay up there over Christmas.”
And Tutte will be delighted if his spell at the Greenhous Meadow proves as productive as his Rochdale loan stint.
“I started seven games for Rochdale and I learnt a lot from it,” he added.
“We got up to third or fourth in League One and had some good results. We won 2-0 at Southampton in front of 20,000 which was really good. It helped me to play in front of a crowd like that.
“Since I’ve come back from Rochdale, I’ve played four reserve games and I feel more experienced.”
Tutte also brings some international experience to the Town squad having relished the chance to pull on an England shirt at junior level. He played for England in the European under-19 Championship final and also went to Egypt for the under-20 World Cup.
By Stuart Dunn