In a recent report, The Sun has mentioned that Manchester United are showing interest in West Bromwich Albion custodian Sam Johnstone, who is being valued at £20m this summer. It is understood that the Red Devils could make a move to bring the English keeper back to Old Trafford if Dean Henderson or David de Gea leaves the Mancunian club in this off-season (via The Sun).
Johnstone’s Solid Season In English Football
Johnstone has gone through a tough and gruelling campaign with the Baggies in the Premier League. Despite suffering relegation with West Brom, he has caught the eye by producing a handful of solid performances for them over the past ten months. The 28-year-old has been a consistent feature in goal at the Hawthorns this season. He has been involved in 37 matches for the West Midlands side this term, conceding 74 goals and keeping six clean sheets in all competitions.
The Preston-born sensation has performed well to average 1.0 clearances and 8.4 long balls per game in the recently concluded Premier League campaign. However, he has often gone long when distributing the ball from the back which explains why he has only completed 43.2% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).
Johnstone’s current deal with the Baggies is set to run out at the end of next season, so Man United are in a good position to bring their former keeper back to the Theatre of Dreams when the transfer window reopens later this month.
Should Man United Get Johnstone On Board This Summer?
Johnstone has decent reflexes in his locker that help him make some solid saves at the back. He can also pull off a few swift dives to come to his side’s rescue when left isolated in a 1v1 situation. The English goalie is also a decent handler of the ball but needs to work on improving his ball distribution if he wants to succeed at the highest level.
Man United should only consider bringing Johnstone back to Old Trafford if they are planning to use him as a squad player either as the backup to Dean Henderson or David de Gea. At 28, the Baggies talent has still got a lot of football left in him and could serve as a decent number two in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s goalkeeping department.
Furthermore, Johnstone already knows Man United well from his previous spell with them and won’t take much time getting settled to life in the northwest of England. All in all, the Red Devils would be wise to get the West Brom custodian on board during this summer transfer window as he will improve their squad depth ahead of the new season.
