Manchester United have kept a close watch on the progress of Alex Meret, the Napoli’s shot-stopper as the futures of David de Gea and Dean Henderson at the club look nebulous.
Solskjaer has been quite vocal about the goalkeeping needs of the club. According to sources from ESPN, Solskjaer wants a young, emerging talent to compete for the No.1 spot, and Meret is regarded as one of Europe’s most promising keepers by United’s scouting team. The 23-year-old has been capped at every level from under-16 upwards by Italy, making his senior debut in the 9-1 victory against Armenia in November 2019.
Meret joined Napoli in 2018 from Udinese and has since shared the duties at the post alongside David Ospina. Meret made 22 appearances in the league this season, his highlight of the season being the saved penalty from Paulo Dybala in the Coppa Italia final which helped Napoli onto their first piece of silverware for the season, and in turn, denied Juventus their double.
Meret seems to be having quite a time at his current club, he told Football Italia in July: “I’d like to stay at Napoli for a long time. The surroundings here are ideal, in a fantastic city.”
Former Udinese legend Antonio di Natale is filled with praise for the 23-year old Italian. While leaving the club a few years back, he expressed his admiration –
“I saw him grow in all aspects, both technically and in terms of character. Napoli have secured a goalkeeper for the next 10 years. For me, he’s the new Buffon.”
De Gea’s marvellous run at the post until last season landed him a booming £350k-a-week contract extension in September last year, keeping him at the club until June 2023 atleast, with an option to extend his services for a fifth season as well.
The Spaniard’s performance since has plunged steeply attributed to quite a few blunders in some high-profile matches. His disappointing run at the post has prompted the United officials to consider a change for the primary shot-stopper. This concerning dip in his form steamed up talks of Dean Henderson returning to take over the No.1 spot.
Dean Henderson has been on loan to Sheffield United for the past two seasons, and has shone promise ever since. The English stopper also got nominated for the Premier League Young Player of the Season award.
However, Henderson’s restlessness has proven a bit concerning for the club. The 23-year old has demanded either a starting role in the first team or a transfer move to Chelsea. Having played regularly at the post in his time at Sheffield, the Englishman doesn’t want to risk sitting at the bench.
United boss, Solskjaer is quite impressed with what Henderson has achieved in his little time at Sheffield but disagrees with him on his demands because he wants Henderson to head out on loan for at least one more season in order to continue earning regular game time.
With De Gea and Henderson, both looking uncertain for the No.1 spot, Manchester United is looking to sign Alex Meret for the job. Keeping in mind that Romero turned 33 earlier this year, Meret looks to be a promising option for the years to come.
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