Dundee United kid Emmanuel Adegboyega reveals mantra that helped him bounce back from Motherwell nightmare

Emmanuel Adegboyega espouses the mantra that “the best players have short memories”.

However, the Dundee United defender helped the Tangerines produce another unforgettable finale on Sunday.

Adegboyega, 21, endured a tumultuous week for the Terrors.

It was his high-profile error that cost United the game against Motherwell on Wednesday evening, miskicking a clearance to allow Tawanda Maswanhise to hare through on goal and seal a 2-1 victory at Tannadice for the Steelmen.

“I needed mental strength for what happened over the midweek,” said the Ireland U/21 international.

“But at the same time, the best players have short memories. So, you need to move on and hit the ground running again.

“I think it’s my first real mistake this season, so it was quite hard – but it’s football.

“Once the final whistle goes, I leave the stadium, it’s over. It’s done. I focus on the next game.”

‘Make sure you don’t lose’

And, true to his word, the on-loan Norwich City kid dusted himself off and turned in a solid showing against Hibs, including a key involvement in the defining moment of the contest when he was tugged back in the box by Mykola Kuharevich.

Following a lengthy VAR check, Sam Dalby slotted home the resulting penalty in the 90th minute to earn the Terrors a share of the spoils.

“As you’ve seen by the past results where this has happened before, we never give up,” added Adegboyega. “We just keep going. It was one of those games where it was tough – a very tough game – but if you don’t win, you make sure you don’t lose.”

Asked whether he felt the penalty call was justified, Adegboyega said: “Definitely. I went past him, felt a tug and, if you feel something in the box, go down. So, they had to check VAR and that’s exactly what happened.”