The transfer window is far from being shut, meaning there is still time for wantaway David de Gea to seal his dream move back to his home country to play for Real Madrid. There are a lot of options available for United if their number one does leave the club this month. Here, a few of our writers discuss what they feel would be the most successful path for the club to go down in the absence of David de Gea.
James Browning
In my opinion, Sergio Romero is more than capable of being a title winner at Manchester United. If David de Gea leaves, he should be given the number 1 shirt for Premier League and Champions League games – with Anders Lindegaard and Sam Johnstone used in the FA Cup and League Cup respectively.
I am a big fan of Jasper Cillessen and had we not picked up Romero for free this summer, I’d want the Dutchman at Old Trafford. However the latter is a World Cup and Copa America finalist, being Argentina’s first choice – so he knows what he’s doing. There’s no point in discarding him to the bench in order to spend £25 million on a different goalkeeper when all he needs is a string of games to get going – after all, it took de Gea over a season to settle properly. Give our Sergio some time and he will deliver! He may have looked nervy against Spurs last weekend, but he did make some vital catches and saves, which many seem to have overlooked.
Matt Brown
Manchester United should sign Hugo Lloris if David de Gea leaves this summer. There are plenty of good goalkeepers at the club at present but, in my opinion, none are of the outstanding level required to succeed the current number 1.
New signing Sergio Romero looked decent on his debut against Spurs but was rarely tested, and I’m not convinced the Argentine is good enough to replace de Gea. Although he is Argentina’s first choice ‘keeper, Romero has played as the second choice at club level for the last two seasons. He should be restricted to the same role at United, and in that sense is a good replacement for the outgoing Victor Valdes.
Lloris is an exceptional keeper who is accustomed to the physicality of the Premier League, and one of few top quality goalkeepers in European football. Ultimately, there are few, if any, better options available for United than the Frenchman.
Lewis Catchpole
Whilst Sergio Romero is undoubtedly a talented goalkeeper, I believe that when David de Gea inevitably leaves Old Trafford for the Santiago Bernabeu will need a new number 1. Romero is not capable of being anything more than a trustworthy backup to whoever eventually replaces the departing Spaniard.
While he has impressed with his national side we must not forget that Romero was ousted from the Sampdoria starting XI last season by former Arsenal flop Emiliano Viviano. I believe a move for highly rated German keeper Bernd Leno would provide a better replacement as while being a better long-term solution. The Bayern Leverkusen shot-stopper is reminiscent of the raw natural talent of the young David de Gea we signed from Atletico Madrid and we all know how well that turned out!
Jordan Farren
I personally feel that Romero isn’t the man to succeed De Gea. I mean, would a manager like Louis van Gaal really bring in a second choice goalkeeper to replace someone like de Gea? I don’t think so.
Bernd Leno would be my pick. The young German is really making a name for himself at Leverkusen in the Bundesliga and is already an established figure, so I agree with Lewis in that he should be our number one.
Another ideal replacement would be Mattia Perin. He is a talented young goalkeeper like de Gea and has done well with Genoa in Serie A in my opinion, he is ready for a bigger challenge.
Louis Porcelli
I’m a big fan of Hugo Lloris, and I believe he is the best goalkeeper who is potentially available, for the right price. Jasper Cillessen has been strongly linked with United and a transfer fee of £20-25 million could arguably be enough for either one of the goalkeepers to be prised away from their respective clubs. I would much prefer the signing of Lloris, as I believe he is a step up from Romero, whilst I personally rate Cillessen of a similar standard to the Argentine international. However, I would still welcome the Ajax goalkeeper if he made the switch from Amsterdam to Manchester.
If another ‘keeper isn’t signed, then I would like to see 22-year-old Sam Johnstone be given a chance in the cup fixtures, as he has waited patiently for his first competitive match for United.
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