MANCHESTER United loanee Zak Dearnley admits he has loved every minute of his Oldham Athletic experience so far despite his side suffering a 3-1 defeat to rivals Bury.

The 20-year-old striker joined Oldham for the rest of the season from the Reds in January, having previously featured for the United

under-23s side.

Having scored off the bench against Crawley on his debut, Dearnley has played regularly since Paul Scholes took over as Latics manager earlier this month.

And while he was disappointed by Oldham’s defeat to Bury at Gigg Lane, Dearnley is relishing getting more first-team opportunities at the League Two club.

“It has been a great experience for me here so far,” he said. “I had a terrific debut at Crawley of course, and then the gaffer has stuck with me and given me a few more

opportunities since.

“I’m getting more and more experience and I’m loving every minute of it, despite this result.

“It’s been tough because I’m not used to playing so many games but, all in all, it’s been really good and I’m not complaining.

“It just feels like a real game here. There are points up for grabs and you know you have to fight for the fans who come and watch you in their numbers, particularly on a day like today.

“They’ve spent their hard-earned money on coming to watch you play, so we all just want to do our best for them. In a way you die for those three points, and we’ll always want to do well.”

Nicky Maynard scored a brace and Jay O’Shea also found the net to give the promotion-chasing Shakers the bragging rights, after Callum Lang had given Oldham the lead.

Oldham are now three games without a win in the league and sit 13th in the

table, but Dearnley hailed the impact Scholes has had on him already in his career.

“It’s a very exciting time for me personally, coming from Manchester United,” he added. “We all know the gaffer is a legend there, and there is no-one better to learn from in my eyes.

“I already had a great

relationship with him, so I’m hoping to just build on that during my time at Oldham.

“He’s been there and done it, so any advice he gives me I’ll be taking on board.

“He’s helped me every step of the way, and he’s put trust in me. I can’t ask for

anything more than that at this stage in my career.”