Manchester United’s back-up goalkeeper search has narrowed after Angus Gunn moved closer to joining San Jose Earthquakes.
The Scotland international had been linked with United as a free-agent option, but San Jose are now closing in on a deal for the 30-year-old goalkeeper.
The Scottish Sun reports that Gunn is poised to join the MLS side after leaving Nottingham Forest, with MLS insider Tom Bogert also linking him with a move to California.
ESPN’s transfer round-up previously carried the line that Manchester United were considering a surprise move for Gunn after his release from Forest.
For Michael Carrick, the point is less about missing out on Gunn specifically and more about the shape of the role United are trying to fill.
This is not a glamour position. It is a squad-management position. Yet in a Champions League season, the second-choice goalkeeper cannot become an afterthought.
Angus Gunn Made Sense As A Low-Risk Manchester United Option
Gunn’s profile was easy to understand. He is 30, available on a free transfer and familiar with English football after spells with Manchester City, Norwich City, Southampton, Stoke City and Nottingham Forest.
He also started all three of Scotland’s World Cup group games, giving clubs a fresh international sample before his next move.
The attraction for United was not that he would challenge Senne Lammens as No.1. It was that he could stabilise the room if Andre Onana or Altay Bayindir moved on and Radek Vitek was not prepared to accept a bench-heavy year.
Read Man Utd had already covered how the Angus Gunn link showed United were trying to fix their goalkeeper hierarchy. The fresh MLS twist changes the framing.
It suggests that the free-agent market is moving quickly. United cannot assume experienced options will wait while Old Trafford debates the perfect squad fit.
A back-up goalkeeper must be good enough to start without changing the team’s build-up habits. He also has to understand the hierarchy and avoid unsettling the No.1.
Gunn, at least on paper, sat in that sensible middle ground: senior experience, no fee and no developmental illusion.
Carrick And Wilcox Need A Faster Goalkeeper Call
Jason Wilcox’s recruitment department has to avoid turning a secondary need into a late-window problem.
United’s priority money will naturally flow towards midfield, full-back depth and attacking structure, but the goalkeeper department still needs a clear decision.
Read Man Utd has also assessed how Karl Darlow’s Leeds decision forced United into another goalkeeper pivot. Gunn now appears to be moving away from that market too.
If Lammens is the No.1, Carrick needs a No.2 who complements him. That means comfort under pressure, reliable distribution and enough senior authority to handle an away Champions League night if circumstances demand it.
United cannot simply sign a name because he is free. They also cannot drift until only compromised names remain.
Gunn heading towards MLS would not be a market disaster. It would be a warning flare.
The cheap, experienced options are disappearing, and clubs offering regular football can beat United to players who do not want another season defined by waiting.
The lesson is blunt. If United want a goalkeeper to support Lammens rather than unsettle him, they need to act with the same clarity they are demanding in midfield.
Carrick’s first full campaign will be judged on the starters, but its stability may depend on the squad roles United usually leave too late.
