Manchester United are reportedly beginning to have contingency plans in place for David De Gea, with Brighton keeper Mat Ryan emerging as an option.
David De Gea is almost irreplaceable at Manchester United. The Spanish stopper has time and again proved himself. But, with time running down on his contract, Manchester United have to be prepared for the worst case scenario. And according to The Sun, Brighton keeper Mat Ryan has emerged as a shocking option to potentially replace De Gea at Old Trafford.
Manchester United’s start to the 2018-19 campaign has been slow and it has contributed to the lack of clean sheets that David De Gea has recorded. But, the stopper showed his worth again against Bournemouth, deflecting a barrage of shots before the Red Devils mounted a comeback to register a late win.
The keeper is yet to sign a new deal, with his current one set to expire at the end of the season. On top of it, De Gea is being tailed by Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, who are interested in the Spaniard despite having Alphonse Areola and Gianluigi Buffon at their disposal.
Mat Ryan though, is a surprising name to emerge as a contender to replace De Gea between the posts, should such a situation arise. The Australian stopper has won trophies. But, the Belgian Cup or being an Australian champion doesn’t necessarily equip one with the pedigree to prove it for Manchester United, a side challenging for the Premier League and the Champions League.
Mat Ryan has played a few blinders for Brighton. But, his overall record is not too appealing, with just 13 shutouts in 49 matches. Although, if you do factor in the difference between Manchester United and Brighton in terms of overall position, the record doesn’t seem half bad.
What is concerning though, is Manchester United have always had a genuine world-class keeper between the sticks from the time of Peter Schmeichel, trickling on to Edwin van der Sar and ultimately to David De Gea. But, there have been periods of uncertainty under Sir Alex Ferguson, where United had to contend with keepers who were good but not of the same standard.
There is an option to extend De Gea’s contract by a further year though. And there is still hope that, with improved results, Manchester United can reach an agreement with the stopper to renew his deal.
If United do consider Mat Ryan to replace David De Gea, there is an impending sense that we might be heading into the same direction, which will be a huge blow considering United’s already faltering reputation since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement.
