Suffice it to say that Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United reign began in the worst way possible with defeats to Brighton and Brentford due mainly to the main culprit David de Gea between the sticks.
De Gea was unable to stop the 4-0 hammering by the Bees, having had a key part to play in three out of the four strikes. Despite being a great shot-stopper, the Spaniard seems to be inadeqate under the Dutch manager, fumbling with the ball at his feet and reluctant to come off the line.
The Dutch manager was out of options with Dean Henderson out on loan at Nottingham Forest and was left with nary a choice but to tweak his team’s tactical set-up instead of dropping De Gea for the present. The former Ajax boss wants to change things going forward, with long goal-kicks being one of the staple of United’s play to be removed from the list of undesirables.
The Peoples Person had written about the Red Devils and their reluctance to trigger the one-year extension on the 31-year-old’s contract due to his form and his massive wages. Martin Dubravka is available on loan but is not up to the mark to assume responsibility as No 1 and has since been relegated to a back-up role this season.
Numerous reports have since emerged stating the 20-time English champions are looking for a top flight alternative with Jan Oblak and Jordan Pickford among the options.
Lately another new name has cropped up, with Football Insider having exclusively reported that United are keeping close tabs on Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez with the Argentine having impressed since signing for Aston Villa in the summer of 2020 from Arsenal for an initial £17million rising to £20million.
“Martinez is highly rated by United’s recruitment team”, as Villa’s valuation of him at £45million is ample testimony of his importance for Steven Gerrard’s side.
The Argentina international signed a contract extension in January earlier this year and could prove to be a delectable piece of business if United want someone with Premier League chutzpah.