It’s been the summer of goalkeeper shake-ups at Manchester United, hasn’t it?
Manchester United parted ways with their long-serving goalkeeper, David de Gea, and brought in Andre Onana to usher in a new direction between the sticks. Erik ten Hag doesn’t seem satisfied with just one keeper signing, however, and has been actively pursuing targets for the back-up role with Dean Henderson, Tom Heaton, and Matej Kovar likely to not be at Old Trafford next season (Kovar is rumoured to be going out on loan again).
United have already been linked with a number of keepers this summer, but I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting a few options who could be signed as United’s number two keeper or even potentially challenge Onana in the future.
Altay Bayındır
United have recently been linked with a £5 million move for Fenerbahce’s 25-year-old shot-stopper. Similar to Onana, the Turkish keeper is a calm and composed sweeper keeper with solid levels of distribution. He was third in the Turkish league for clean sheets last season with nine and finished the season ranked fifth in the league for goals conceded per game with a 1.2 average per 90. Bayındır also averaged 1.63 defensive actions outside the area per 90 (88th percentile) with an average distance of those defensive actions of 19 yards from his goal (97th percentile). This courage to come off his line also saw him stop 7.2% of the crosses into his area, which was in the 79th percentile.
Would Bayındır give up a starting role at Fenerbahce to be a back-up at United, though? Fenerbahce have reportedly lined up a move for Croatian keeper, Dominik Livakovic, in anticipation of Bayındır’s exit, but with Ajax also rumoured to be interested and able to offer first team football, United will need to act fast.
Zion Suzuki
The Urawa Reds keeper has reportedly been scouted by United since 2017 and could be available for just £5 million. The 20-year-old is still a rotation option for his club, though, so he would definitely be the number two at United. Having not yet played many matches for the Red Diamonds, Suzuki has still impressed, keeping clean sheets in his first three matches for the club as a teenager, as well as in his first senior cap for Japan in 2022.
Despite personal terms already reportedly agreed, though, the signing of Onana and upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris has caused Suzuki to backpedal on a move to Old Trafford out of concern that he’ll see significantly less game time. This doesn’t necessarily mean the door is closed on Suzuki coming to Old Trafford, however, as there’s plenty of time left in the window to convince the young keeper to make a move.
Djordje Petrovic
Linked to Manchester United last season, the 23-year-old Serbian shot-stopper has been immense in the MLS with New England Revolution after the Revs sold Matt Turner to Arsenal. His ability to read shots, combined with superb reflexes and strong hands have made Petrovic one of the best keepers in the MLS, if not the most underrated. Ranked first in the league for saves per 90 and a save percentage of 80.6% (93rd percentile), Petrovic finished the season with a whopping seven clean sheets in the league. He was also in the 93rd percentile with +0.35 post-shot expected goals minus goals allowed per 90, which reveals a tremendous ability to make saves he isn’t necessarily expected to.
If United want to return for Petrovic, though, they’ll have two hurdles to overcome: the MLS season is currently underway and the 23 year old’s performances have turned heads throughout Europe. The Athletic report that the Revs have recently rejected two bids in the £8 million range from Nottingham Forest and FC Nantes, meaning United would likely need to offer more or wait until January if they want to secure a deal for the Revs’ star shot-stopper.
David Jensen
This one is a definite “what-if” option, but bear with me. We’ve seen how much Erik ten Hag relies on players he’s worked with before, which makes his former FC Utrecht signing, David Jensen a quality backup option for United. Currently in the final year of a two year contract with Turkish side, Istanbulspor, the 31-year-old keeper was vital to Utrecht’s fourth place finish under Ten Hag and might fancy a reunion with his former manager as the number two option.
Jensen kept seven clean sheets in the Turkish league last season and finished the season with the second most saves per 90 with 3.8 per match. Jensen’s current market value is just €400k, according to Transfermarkt, making him a potential masterstroke signing if ten Hag is interested in bringing yet another former player to Old Trafford.
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