Buyers beware! Why Man Utd should be wary of signing first-choice De Gea replacement

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 18 Apr 2023 08:53 BST
• 4 min read

Manchester United reportedly hope that David de Gea will sign a new contract at the club, but their search for his long-term replacement remains ongoing.

De Gea's deal at Old Trafford is set to come to an end this summer, although there is an option for a further year included in his current contract.

Erik ten Hag has kept faith with the Spaniard this season, despite pre-season worries over his ability to play out from the back, but the Red Devils have begun planning for his inevitable exit in the near future.

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Yann Sommer was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford in January before he joined Bayern Munich, while AC Milan's Mike Maignan has previously been admired.

However, recent reports suggest that Leeds United's Illan Meslier appears to be Man Utd's ideal long-term replacement for De Gea.

The French shot-stopper is just 23 years old, but has already racked up over 100 appearances for Leeds, while his breakout campaign at Lorient came at the age of just 18.

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Furthermore, former Man Utd striker Louis Saha recently admitted he believes Meslier is destined to become the number one 'keeper at Old Trafford.

But, the Frenchman's recent form should concern Man Utd's transfer chiefs massively and could dissuade them from pursuing a deal this summer.

Meslier's form for Leeds

While Javi Gracia was appointed to rectify Leeds' season and steer the club away from the relegation zone, the Elland Road side have returned to type and are still leaking goals.

It was a feature of their play under Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, and it's continued under Gracia. They conceded six goals to Liverpool last time out, while Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace side netted five times against Gracia's men the weekend prior.

In total, Leeds have conceded 20 goals in their last six games and 11 in their last two.

The most worrying part of that from a Man Utd perspective is that Meslier has conceded those 11 goals from just 12 shots on target.

After saving Michael Olise's shot in the 44th minute against Crystal Palace, Meslier went on to concede 11 goals before he next prevented a shot from ending up in the back of his net.

Marc Guehi, Jordan Ayew (2), Eberechi Eze, Odsonne Edouard, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah (2), Diogo Jota (2) and Darwin Nunez all scored before the Frenchman finally made another save when he denied a right-footed Roberto Firmino attempt in the 94th minute against Liverpool.

Furthermore, the xG of those 11 strikes add up to 5.88, which means Meslier has now conceded 11 more goals than xG predicts he should've done in the Premier League this season. That record is the second worst in the division, ahead of only Southampton's Gavin Bazunu.

It is worth noting, however, that Meslier and Bazunu are the two youngest goalkeepers to have played over two Premier League games this campaign, which suggests they need time to improve.

However, Man Utd can't afford to give Meslier time if he costs them games. They need a proven goalkeeper to eventually replace De Gea and unless Meslier improve drastically in the final few games of the season, he isn't the answer just yet.