Ahead of the 2020-21 Premier League season, Manchester United’s goalkeeping position is one big conundrum that must be solved swiftly without delay.
The goalkeeping role has always proved to be a position that is arguably the most unique role in a football team. Despite its highly difficult skillset, goalkeepers are one very important player that must uphold their role by shouldering the responsibility of their team’s final result.
As Manchester prep up to sail into the new season and Ole Gunner Solkjear the captain of the ship, he must be able to decide who shoulder the team’s responsibility in goal. As such one goalkeeper must be shown the green light as the main man for the new campaign.
In what had been a topsy-turvy campaign for De Gea, he could be impeccable in a particular match and the next game turns up with a poor performance, which has put him under the spotlight with a lot of questions been asked by fans and the media. And there have been calls for him to be replaced.
During the 2019-20 campaign, the Spaniard kept 13 clean sheets in the Premier League, which was only bettered by Burnley’s Nick Pope and City’s goalkeeper Ederson.
There is no doubt De Gea’s spot as the Red Devils’ first choice is under serious threat to some extent, due to the mistake-ridden campaign he had. However, despite all of his errors, Ole has always been in the defense of his first-choice goalkeeper.
Dean Henderson in particular only wants to return to the Red Devils fold on the stipulation he is first-choice and not some backup. His performances with Sheffield United in the 2019/20 campaign have been nothing short of world-class: 36 Premier League appearances and 13 clean sheets.
With De Gea, Romero, and Henderson currently in Manchester United’s team, there’s no doubt Ole Gunner Solkjear surely has a goalkeeping dilemma on his hands, with the new season very much upon us.
But then let’s take a look at Manchester United goalkeepers’ strengths and weaknesses.
- David De Gea
The Spaniard first season at Old Trafford wasn’t really a good outing, for a young goalkeeper coming from a different league. Right from his second year at Manchester United he understood the league better and went on and produce top-notch performances in the Premier League.
First off, his strength has to be his experience, ability to stop a one-on-one goal opportunity, and his reflexes. His weaknesses have always been his mental stability, poor handling in the box, conceding goals even in the simplest of situations.
De Gea has been nowhere near the world-class levels that are expected of him. However, that doesn’t take anything away from his greatness as a goalkeeper.
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- Sergio Romero
The Argentine goalkeeper quality is no doubt the kind of quality a manager would look at and wants to have in his team. Even so for a goalkeeper that was brought in for free from Sampdoria, no one would ever think he would walk straight into United’s team as number one.
His performances so far have shown he could also lay claim to the number one position, if well trusted by the manager, but with De Gea still in the team, it won’t come easy for him.
His strength as a goalkeeper has always been his experience, reflexes, penalty saving, and saving close-range shots, while his only weaknesses is concentration. When he’s been called upon to man the post he doesn’t disappoint to deliver top-notch saves, even though he only had 17 match appearances this season for United (Europa and FA Cup).
- Dean Henderson
When Manchester United decided to let Henderson go on a loan spell they saw something unique and special in the English goalkeeper, and without a doubt with the kind of performances he displays at Bramall Lane (Sheffield United), we can categorically say the 23-years old has grown into a man with topflight football experience on his side.
Standing at 188cm (6ft, 2inch), the Englishman is a commanding shot-stopper who has magnificent goalkeeping abilities with his amazing reflexes always on parade with shots from the opponent, all these are some of his strength as a goalkeeper.
One area of his game, which stands as his weakness and what he should improve upon as he grows in experience and maturity is his distribution. When it comes to long balls, Henderson has always operated at 28% long ball accuracy at an average of 5.2 per game. A stat he needs to improve on in order to mature into a more fantastic goalkeeper.
Conclusion
If Solkjear wants to keep his team competing in all front he must act fast in solving his goalkeeping dilemma, he should draw inspiration from Ter Stegen & Claudio Bravo’s situation at Camp Nou. Manchester United would start De Gea in league matches while giving Henderson European and cup duties.
This will allow De Gea the opportunity to rehabilitate his high-profile errors while also integrating Henderson slowly into the side.
The English man currently lacks continental experience and while Red Devil’s are no real contenders for the Champions League as of now, getting Henderson that experience now could be important for his development and exposure to any future challenge.
Sergio Romero on the other hand should look elsewhere to re-ignite his career, snatching the number one spot is no easy feat knowing full well that he now has a rival (Henderson) that could also lay claim to the number two position if Ole decides to go with David De Gea as the first choice.
United’s goalkeeping department cannot give any headache to a sound manager. Its only someone like Ole who tactically inept that could be having a headache.
That said, DDG,Romero and Henderson.
That’s the way it should go
Your opinion though, DDG has dropped awesomely and can’t be given a pat on the back, only a manager who is not scared to be criticized would let DDG sit it out and re-learn. His high-profile error will sink Man Utd going forward.