Man Utd set sights on Dubravka transfer to pile pressure on De Gea

Suraj Radia

25 Aug 2022 20:30 BST
3 min read

Martin Dubravka, Newcastle United, 2022/23 — © ProShots

Manchester United have lined up a move for Martin Dubravka as they look to sign a goalkeeper to provide competition for David De Gea, or even replace him.

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Dubravka has been relegated to the bench at Newcastle after the arrival of Nick Pope this summer and United are believed to have made an approach to loan the 33-year-old with an option to buy for £5 million.

Erik ten Hag is keen on signing another goalkeeper after Dean Henderson departed on loan to Nottingham Forest, leaving 36-year-old Tom Heaton as the only senior backup to De Gea.

The Red Devils had previously chased Kevin Trapp but 32-year-old has decided to stay at Eintracht Frankfurt, with United also baulking at the Bundesliga outfit's €25m asking price.

While De Gea is expected to retain his place as United's number one regardless of who is signed, the Spaniard's mistake-filled showing in the 4-0 loss to Brentford provided Ten Hag with a warning of his capability for errors.

With the former Atletico keeper entering the final year of his contract, the potential arrival of an experienced Premier League goalkeeper in Dubravka could pile the pressure on De Gea to cut out the mistakes or risk getting left behind.

How does Dubravka compare to De Gea?

De Gea has undoubtedly established himself as one of the best shot stoppers in the world since joining United in 2011 but he has also encountered difficult periods where he has been at fault for a number of poor goals.

In fact, De Gea has made the third-highest amount of errors leading to goals since 2016 with 11, behind Hugo Lloris on 12 and Jordan Pickford on 16.

However, while De Gea may have made more mistakes from most, he has also been the sole reason for a lot of United's successes over the years, being voted in the PFA Team of the Year on five occasions.

Dubravka, meanwhile, is not far off De Gea in terms of errors, having made nine mistakes leading to goals since joining Newcastle in 2018.

The Slovakian has also endured issues with injuries, missing 37 games in the past two seasons, and was replaced by Pope due to England international's superior ability in the air and off his line.

Martin Dúbravka would be an upgrade on De Gea but it’s still has Glazernomics written all over it.

Remember it’s Steve Bruce tax the last 3 seasons.

17/18 shows he can sweep if he is asked to do so. It is what it is I guess. pic.twitter.com/NVKTn5mIQg
— Jᴀᴄᴋʏ Hᴇɴᴄʜᴍᴀɴ♦️ (@JackyHenchman) August 24, 2022

However, the stats suggest Dubravka would represent a significant upgrade on De Gea with the ball at his feet, hence the likely reason why Ten Hag has identified the Sparta Prague keeper as a target.

Regardless of role, Dubravka would provide much-needed competition for De Gea as well as a reliable set of hands whenever called upon, meaning his arrival could end up being a shrewd move by United.