Manchester United: Goalkeeper seeking a shock exit from the club

Sergio Romero(L) and David de Gea(R), Manchester United. (Photo by Visionhaus)
Sergio Romero(L) and David de Gea(R), Manchester United. (Photo by Visionhaus)

David de Gea has drawn flak for his recent goalkeeping errors, costing Manchester United dearly.

Once touted as the best goalkeeper in the world, David de Gea is witnessing his stocks plummeting to new lows, garnering intense scrutiny over his shot-stopping displays in the past 24 months or so. The calls for dropping the Spain international have amplified after a shocking performance in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.

De Gea, capable of deciding games via individual brilliance, has not been the subject of wrath from the United faithful for the first time. However, the previous criticism happened where the player was plotting an upward graph of his career. And now, supposedly, this period should be the peak of that curve, many fans believing that the trajectory is on the opposite.

Amid recent displays, it would have been justified if the 29-year-old was shunted, even for a brief duration, from the starting team. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is on board with De Gea and fully believes the keeper is capable of turning his fortune around at the club, once again.

Credit to Solskjaer for entrusting the player who has been a terrific servant for the club. But, it seems to have had a ripple effect on his goalkeeping contingent. Sergio Romero, who anticipated taking over from De Gea after a string of poor showing, is disappointed for not given the chance to show his worth between the sticks.

Now, as per reports from ESPN, Sergio Romero is even considering his options away from Manchester United. The Argentine keeper, boasting an amazing tally of 38 clean sheets from 59 games, is unhappy at management’s decision to start David de Gea against Chelsea, having got the nod in the previous FA Cup fixtures.

More from Manchester United

"Manchester United goalkeeper Sergio Romero is wanted by Everton and Leeds United.Everton are keen to add competition for Jordan Pickford while Leeds are putting together their transfer plans as they prepare for their first season in the Premier League since 2004 after winning promotion from the Championship. (ESPN)"

The Toffees envisage Romero as the perfect competition for Jordan Pickford, with Jonas Lossl not proving his worth and Maarten Stekelenburg moving back to AFC Ajax. Carlo Ancelotti is keen to build a squad capable of challenging Premier League heavyweights for European spots.

Leeds United are on the lookout for a shot-stopper themselves, who could work parallelly with Kiko Casilla, who has suffered from a string of injury issues this season. The Whites, after gaining their Premier League status in a first since 2004, are entering the pinnacle of English football with lofty ambitions under the tutelage of the enigmatic manager Marcelo Bielsa.

In terms of Manchester United, a goalkeeping conundrum was a long time coming, considering the alarming progress of Dean Henderson at Sheffield United. The upcoming shot-stopper is staking his claim on the Red Devils’ number one slot with every passing game.

For Solskjaer, it would be an optimum time to reshuffle his goalkeeping pack and it could begin with letting Sergio Romero seal a move to another club. The upcoming summer could be one of the most important periods of the Norwegian’s managerial stint, till now.

Do you think David de Gea will lose his goalkeeping duties at the club?