Manchester United are set to be one of the busiest clubs in the summer transfer window at the end of the season with Jose Mourinho planning to improve a few areas of the squad for the next season. Though he will spend big on areas that need to be strengthened, Mourinho might also have a problem with star players leaving the club.
Though most players are currently settled at the Old Trafford, Spanish shot-stopper David de Gea may well be on his way, come the end of the season. He has been extensively linked with a move to Real Madrid recently and according to reports, Mourinho has already identified his replacement.
Barcelona’s Marc-Andre Ter-Stegen is among the few players that Mourinho wants De Gea replaced with this summer. The Portuguese has also been looking at Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas as possible replacements but reports suggest that Ter-Stegen could be sold this summer and Manchester United do not want to miss out on a chance to snap him up at the end of the season.
Ter-Stegen, Manuel Neuer’s deputy in the German national squad, is one of the best shot-stoppers in the world of the football at the moment. Born and brought up in Monchengladbach, Ter-Stegen started his career in the youth set up in his city.
He grew into the team and made his senior debut as a teenager in 2010 and has ever since been regarded as one of the best keepers in Europe. He moved to Barcelona from Germany back in 2014 and has now gone on to cement a place in the first team at the Camp Nou.
He is currently the first choice keeper for Luis Enrique at Barcelona and has 12 clean sheets in the La Liga, which is right up there with the best. Ter-Stegen is a ball-playing goalkeeper who hates to hoof the ball up ahead. Barcelona love to play the ball from behind and set attacks up quickly and Ter-Stegen is probably the perfect fit for their style of play at the moment.
There is no doubting Ter-Stegen’s shot-stopping or punching and catching abilities but the German defender has not been too far away from a mistake. He loves to play short even under pressure and this has on more than one occasion, presented the opposition a goal.
So Barcelona are convinced that he is not getting better and are ready to listen to offers and United are ready to spend on him if they lose De Gea this summer.
And that is exactly why he is not a great option for United. De Gea is a solid shot stopper and Ter-Stegen will find it hard to replace that itself but the German goal–keeper has to completely change his style and will have to start using a no-nonsense approach which suits the English style of play and United’s plans well next season.
So it is clear that Ter-Stegen is not the man United need at the moment. They need to find a shot-stopper this summer but Ter-Stegen is made for a different type of club than the one at the Old Trafford. Do you think the German shot-stopper from the Camp Nou is a good option for Manchester United this summer?
