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Man Utd told goalkeeper solution that could save Erik ten Hag £25m in De Gea replacement
Manchester United may need to replace goalkeeper David De Gea.
Rashford's upturn in form down to his'happiness' says ten Hag
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been told of a way he can save the Red Devils money in their attempts to replace goalkeeper David De Gea. The Spaniard’s contract ends at the end of the season, and he has been linked with a move to Juventus on a free transfer.
Calciomercato claim that the Italian club are ready to make an offer to the 31-year-old if he becomes a free agent next year, as there have been concerns over whether he fits into Ten Hag’s style of play. The Dutchman wants to play on the front foot and be a possession-based team, and De Gea’s weakness on the ball may prompt the Red Devils into not renewing his contract.
There have been rumours of Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez moving to Old Trafford as De Gea’s replacement, but former Tottenham stopper Paul Robinson has suggested an alternative to the Argentine who is valued at £25million by transfermarkt. “Martinez did not establish himself at Arsenal,” Robinson told Football Insider.
“He has become a much better goalkeeper at Aston Villa. He has shown his qualities but there is still a question mark. Can he play at the very top level? He still has a lot to prove for me. He needs to do it consistently for a lengthy period of time.
“If De Gea goes, I would expect them to look again at Dean Henderson. It has to be an option for them. They cannot presume that it is not an option. If De Gea is to leave it is a matter of urgency that they sign at least one goalkeeper because [Martin] Dubravka is only on loan.
“They have Tom Heaton there, who is a top goalkeeper, but he will not want to be number three for the rest of their career. There could be a lot of change. They have to get it right if they want to challenge at the top again.”
Henderson may have a difficult barrier to overcome when he returns from his season-long loan at Nottingham Forest however after his previous comments. The goalkeeper blasted his parent club for the “criminal” decision of keeping him at the club as De Gea’s backup last season, after he claimed he was promised the number one jersey.
“To be quite honest with you, it's probably been the toughest 12 months of my career,” Henderson told talkSPORT after confirming his loan. “It's been tough, it's been hard and I'm so happy I've come out the other end of it now.
“The conversation I had, coming out of the Euros squad, was that you're coming back here [to United] to be the number one goalkeeper. I got Covid, then unfortunately no-one followed through with anything they told me. It's frustrating as well, because I turned so many good loans down last summer for that reason and they wouldn't let me go. To sit there and waste 12 months is criminal, really, at my age. I was fuming.”