Manchester United's goalkeeping situation has taken a fresh twist with former back-up goalkeeper Sergio Romero open to a return to the club.
The Argentine shot-stopper is a free agent after leaving Venezia this summer as Dean Henderson looks set to exit Old Trafford and join Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan deal. The 25-year-old will join the newly-promoted side for the season after being unable to dislodge David De Gea as first choice at United.
That was despite former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer promising Henderson a run of matches in the first-team at Old Trafford but this never materialised after he caught Covid at the start of last season and failed to force his way into the starting line-up under either the Norwegian or interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
Having featured 26 times under Solskjaer in the 2020/21 campaign, Henderson was not involved at all in the Premier League last season and did not feature in Rangnick’s plans. He is now leaving once again for regular first-team football in a move that suggests De Gea will once again be the unopposed starting choice.
Yet De Gea’s standing at United was described as a “big problem” by a teammate at Old Trafford in the 2020-21 campaign while he is no longer involved in the Spanish national team squads due to his prolonged slump in form.
In a recent interview in Marca, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga discussed how he and De Gea have fallen from prominence in the Spanish international setup under Luis Enrique. The Blues deputy goalkeeper revealed how De Gea had a "private chat" with the Spain boss – seeing him frozen out of the squad with Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon, David Raya of Brentford and Brighton's Robert Sanchez all preferred.
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While De Gea is likely to start the season as first-choice goalkeeper at Old Trafford, his long-term status remains in doubt. It is not a priority position for United this summer but could become an issue that new boss Erik ten Hag re-evaluates over the course of the season.
Meanwhile, a report in the MEN has suggested that Romero is open to the idea of returning to United this summer. Lee Grant has already left the club this summer with Henderson also set to depart, which would open the door for the 35-year-old to re-join the club.
Romero fell out of favour under Solskjaer and the club subsequently blocked his loan move to Everton in the summer of 2020, despite not featuring for United again – meaning that the club paid him a full year of wages despite not featuring. The player's wife hit out at the decision on Instagram, with the Argentine not selected again.
Despite being a second choice throughout his six years at United, Romero impressively managed to keep 39 clean sheets in 61 appearances for the club.
