After finishing the last Premier League season in the third position, Manchester United are all set for Champions League action this year. Last year, Erik Ten Hag also managed to bag the Carabao Cup title while losing the FA Cup final against Manchester City. So, the Red Devils are strengthening their squad ahead of the next season.
Meanwhile, David De Gea left the club after 12 long years and he was the club's longest-serving goalkeeper with 545 matches and a record 190 clean sheets. Hence, United are linked with Inter Milan’s Andre Onana (27 years) to make him the new no.1. On 12 July 2023, their pre-season campaign kicked off in Oslo against Leeds United.
Speaking of the match, United's only new signing so far, Mason Mount was in action for the first 45 minutes. But, the first half ended goalless. Then, both teams fielded a completely new playing XI for the second half. In the goalkeeping position, Matej Kovar replaced Tom Heaton and he had a decent outing.
Matej Kovar won the Goalkeeper of the Season award last year with Sparta Plague
Ultimately, Manchester United won the game 2-0 as Noam Emerson and Joe Hughill were the scorers. But, Kovar attracted fans’ eyes due to his cool and calm nature at the goal. The 23-year-old Czech goalkeeper is in United since 2017. In the last six years, the club sent him on loan to different clubs like Swindon, Burton Albion, and Sparta Prague.
Last season, he was in Sparta and Kovar came up with some huge performances. Kovar was instrumental in Sparta winning their first league title in 9 years and he was also awarded as the goalkeeper of the season by the League Football Association (LFA), after securing 10 clean sheets.
Can Kovar become the new ‘David De Gea’ for Erik Ten Hag?
When 20-year-old David De Gea joined United, he needed to fill the boots of another famous United goalkeeper, Edwin Van Der Ser. Sir Alex Ferguson showed faith in him and now, he left the club after playing 545 matches in the last 12 years. Andre Onana had a great last season and he could be the perfect replacement for the Spaniard. But, the other goalkeeping option, Dean Henderson is also reportedly to leave this summer. So, this performance of Kovar can impress Erik Ten Hag to think about him as a first-team player sometime in the future.
Strength of Matej Kovar
In the last season, he was praised for his shot-stopping abilities and quick ball distribution. That helped Sparta heavily in developing quick attacks. Against Leeds, he was seen as very comfortable with his footwork on many occasions. Leeds’ attackers were pressing but the way, he calmly passed the ball to his fellow defenders, was something Erik Ten Hag must be proud of. Even, on corners and crosses from Leeds, he managed to collect those balls cleanly and there was no such hesitation in his decision-making also. For Leeds, experienced players like Patrick Bamford, Ayling, and Daniel James were linking up and looking to create pressure on him. But, he won every single battle. So, it will be interesting to see if The United coach can show more faith in this young Czech goalkeeper going forward to this upcoming season or if another loan spell awaits him.
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