Martin Dúbravka has been unveiled as Manchester United’s new goalkeeper

David De Gea no longer has his place secured as Manchester United's first-choice goalkeeper

01/09/2022, 04:41 PM +00:00

Manchester United have announced the signing of Martin Dúbravka from Newcastle United until the end of the season. The Red Devils will pay £2 million for a season-long loan deal with a buy option of £6m that is not mandatory when the season finishes in June of 2023, but it could become an obligation to buy if he plays a certain number of Premier League games.

Erik ten Hag asked the club to double their efforts in looking for a new backup goalkeeper during the final weeks of the transfer window, and they finally signed one who can actually be a threat to David De Gea week in and week out for a place in the starting eleven after the Spanish goalkeeper’s shaky start of the season.

More Man Utd news:

The players that could leave Manchester United in the next few hours
Antony talks about reuniting with some friends at Manchester United

The 31-year-old didn’t convince Erik ten Hag during pre-season because of his lack of abilities with the ball on his feet, which is a characteristic that the new manager really looks for in his goalkeepers because he likes his team to play the ball from the back. In addition to this, De Gea made two shocking mistakes in the 4-0 defeat against Brentford two weeks ago.

Tom Heaton was the only backup option down the sticks after Dean Henderson asked to leave on loan so he could have guaranteed playtime before the FIFA World Cup in November, so he could have a chance of being called up by England’s manager Gareth Southgate. For this reason, Dúbravka could be considered a great short-term solution.

Great goalkeeper

Martin Dúbravka has been playing for Newcastle sin 2018, where he quickly became one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. But after suffering an injury back in 2020, he never returned to a guaranteed place at Newcastle. However, this season he wasn’t really counting for the Magpies after they signed Nick Pope in goal, so he saw Man United as an opportunity to compete with David De Gea at Old Trafford.