Manchester United target surprise Premier League goalkeeper to challenge David de Gea

The position of goalkeeper is at present maybe the most polarising position at Manchester United Football Club.

On the one hand, many are still holding onto David de Gea’s impressive past for Manchester United, where at one point he was arguably the best goalkeeper in the world.

Others, however, hold the belief that the demands of a goalkeeper now - in Ten Hag’s system especially - are different to what the Spaniard offers and the club need to move on.

With Dean Henderson’s recent comments about United, it looks as though the chances of him playing for the club again are slim.

Now, United are looking for a goalkeeper that can come in and actually challenge De Gea in his position, hoping it will force the Spaniard to work on his flaws.

One of the goalkeepers on this list is 32-year-old Southampton and England stopper Alex McCarthy, according to Jonathan Shrager.

Whilst certainly unexpected, United have recruited a couple of experienced goalkeepers that are familiar with the league in recent years in Lee Grant and Tom Heaton.

With Grant now no longer with the club and Henderson having left on loan, United are left with just De Gea and Heaton so it is understandable they want to bring an extra body into the position.

McCarthy has recently been demoted to backup keeper at Southampton, with new signing Gavin Bazunu taking his place.

But Erik ten Hag is keen to bring in a goalkeeper who he feels can genuinely challenge his current number one for his spot in United’s side.

Whether or not McCarthy will be this player, however, is completely up in the air. Whilst a solid goalkeeper, United have better options throughout the league.

One of these options is David Raya, who United will be up against on Saturday evening as they travel to West London to face Brentford.

Midfield might be United’s biggest problem at the minute, but it certainly isn’t the only problem that the team possesses.

The fact that United are in fact looking to reinforce the goalkeeper position is a positive sign from the club that they are moving forward.

It was a common narrative last season that David de Gea was ‘saving’ Manchester United, having an impressive shot stopping season.

Whilst this shot stopping was undeniably excellent, debate was had over just how many goals that United conceded which he could have prevented.

Also a hot topic of debate was how he impacts the team’s overall ability to build out from the back, and his general contributions in possession.

McCarthy may not be the answer, but his targeting is a sign that United are looking in the right direction.