The debate over who should be Manchester United's number one goalkeeper has been raging for a few seasons now. David de Gea is the better shot-stopper, but the rest of his game leaves a lot to be desired. This has led to plenty of fans asking for Dean Henderson to be given a go.
During his run in the team in the 2020/21 season, despite not being as good a shot-stopper as De Gea (though not by a significant margin) the Englishman's all-round game was much better. However, at the start of the 2021/22 season, he contracted Covid-19 and this allowed De Gea to wrestle back his starting spot.
So who will be the number one under Erik ten Hag? Well, it seems like the fans have their answer as the Manchester Evening News understands United are in talks with Nottingham Forest over a loan deal for Henderson that could include an option to buy.
READ MORE: Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson wanted by Nottingham Forest
This means De Gea will likely start the season as United's number one and it is yet to be seen whether the club will sign a backup. Tom Heaton is still contracted at Old Trafford, but United are understood to be monitoring Watford's Daniel Bachmann and Newcastle's Karl Darlow.
Given that many fans have doubts over whether De Gea will be able to play Ten Hag's brand of football, it seems unwise to leave the manager without an effective Plan B. Therefore, a potential option United could consider is currently plying his trade at a relegated club, but not in England.
Luis Maximiano was relegated with Granada this season after the Spanish club had a catastrophically poor campaign. United fans will remember they faced Granada in the Europa League quarter-finals last season.
Maximiano is 23 years old and 6'2". He kept seven clean sheets last season in 34 games, but his statistics show that he could be an asset for a much better team. According to FBref , he has a save percentage of 70.6 per cent across the season - which is more than De Gea's. He also has a similar post-shot xG (when goals allowed is removed) to United's Spanish shot-stopper, 0.15 compared to De Gea's 0.18.
Where Maximiano really thrives is with his command of his area and just outside of it. The Portuguese goalkeeper stops 6.9 per cent of crosses into his area, which is around average for his position and more than double De Gea's.
But he also averages 1.18 defensive actions outside his penalty area per 90 minutes played, compared to the 0.24 of United's number one. Maximiano has is a promising skillset, while he also has time on his side, unlike De Gea who is 31.
With a reported release clause of €12.5m (around £11m), it seems like he would be a much better choice than Darlow or Bachmann and would give United options moving forward.
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