The future of David de Gea at Manchester United is still uncertain. The goalkeeper's contract expires at the end of the 2022/23 season, though the club do hold the option to extend his deal by a further year.
It is uncertain whether the club and Erik ten Hag will move forward with De Gea between the sticks and it could be that United look to replace the 31-year-old over the summer. Porto's Diogo Costa is the latest name to be linked with the No.1 spot at Old Trafford, while there's also a chance that Dean Henderson could be offered a route back into the side once he returns from his loan spell with Nottingham Forest - that likely depends on how forgiving Ten Hag is feeling after the England international's outburst.
That being said, The Telegraph report that United could look to bring in Everton's Jordan Pickford. The 28-year-old has been a regular for the Toffees since his 2017 move to Merseyside, while he's also established himself as England's No.1 under Gareth Southgate.
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So when United face Everton on Sunday, Pickford may well be auditioning for a possible move. Though Ten Hag will probably be hoping Pickford has a game to forget, if the 28-year-old is on the United boss' radar he'll no doubt be eager to impress.
No team has a better defensive record in the Premier League this season than Frank Lampard's Everton, and Pickford, of course, has been key to their efforts.
The game at Goodison Park will also provide Ten Hag with an opportunity to see how well Pickford plays with the ball at his feet. One big criticism of De Gea's game has been his inability to distribute consistently out from the back and help the team in possession.
This has led to United sitting much deeper, while long balls are pumped forward with regularity as opposed to retaining possession. It has worked in the short term but there are still question marks over whether this tactic will be sustainable.
Plenty of United fans will see Pickford as an underwhelming option to replace De Gea, but a good performance on Sunday could see a few supporters change their opinion of the former Sunderland man. Add in the fact he has the World Cup to look forward to where he'll be afforded the opportunity to showcase his talents, and he could soon be seen as a much more viable replacement for De Gea.
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