There are a few key decisions looming on the horizon for Erik ten Hag. With steady progress being made on the pitch, his new-look side is beginning to take shape, but he still has some crucial calls to make, ones that will influence just how successful he becomes.
With so much change this summer, he put many of the bigger decisions on ice. Harry Maguire remained the club captain, David de Gea the first choice in goal, and Cristiano Ronaldo stayed at the club, despite his desire to leave.
Next summer, all three of those things will likely need to be addressed. Maguire is no longer a regular starter in the side, De Gea remains a square peg in a round hole and Ronaldo is expected to depart when his contract expires.
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A new captain will need to be found from within, and a new striker searched for in the transfer market. But Ten Hag might already know who it is he wants to replace De Gea in goal.
Talks of a new shot-stopper often spark a debate on Dean Henderson’s suitability for the role. However, the England goalkeeper might have burned his bridges with controversial comments when he left, and apart from that, he has hardly set the world alight with his subsequent performances on loan at Nottingham Forest.
If United want to be the best, then they need a goalkeeper who not only perfectly fits the vision of Ten Hag, but one who can go toe-to-toe with his rivals in the league, reaching the new benchmark set for the modern goalkeeper.
Making saves is still the true gauge of how good a ‘keeper is, but at the top level, the role has developed and for a team that aspires to play out from the back like United, their No.1 must be a conductor to the attacking orchestra, someone as comfortable with their feet as they are with their hands.
De Gea showed some signs of improvement in his most recent outing against Everton last weekend, but he still isn’t a confident sweeper keeper and it is difficult to envisage him ever adapting enough for the role his manager wants. The Spaniard has already given United 11 years of service, and by next summer, the focus must be on signing a young goalkeeper who could dominate the role for the next decade.
For many United fans, the dream is to sign Diogo Costa, the young goalkeeper who is making headlines for his performances at Porto this season. The 23-year-old ticks all the boxes as the archetypal modern goalkeeper and stole the show on Wednesday night in his side’s 3-0 win over Leverkusen in the Champions League.
It was a performance that had a bit of everything. Not only did the Portuguese youngster keep a clean sheet, but he also saved a penalty and got an assist for the opening goal. It was basically the goalkeeping equivalent of the perfect hat-trick.
Sure, Galeno still had a lot to do when he latched onto Costa’s perfectly weighted pass to amplify it into an assist, but even without the goal contribution to his name, the Porto goalkeeper demonstrated how comfortable he is with his feet, so often beginning moves with his distribution from the back.
Costa completed 17 long balls in total during the match and had 54 touches of the ball in total, evidence of the trust his teammates have in his ball-playing abilities. But just as impressive was his penalty save from Kerem Demirbay, one of four saves he made during the match.
It is understood Costa has a £51million release clause in his contract, which means he would become the third-most expensive goalkeeper in history if a team were to activate it next year. Though it would be a price worth paying if he delivered the longevity of the man he would potentially be replacing in the Old Trafford goal.
With seven international call-ups to his name already, the Swiss-born Portugal international looks destined for the very top, and his stock could even rise if he shines at the World Cup later this year.
Next summer, United might lose the poster boy for Portuguese football, but they could also sign a future star of it too.
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