Mizgan Masani
Roy Keane has a strong view on how bad a goalkeeper Manchester United target Jordan Pickford is
Former Manchester United Roy Keane does not think Everton goalkeeper and United target Jordan Pickford is a top player in his position.
This was after Pickford was easily beaten by an Ilkay Gundogan free-kick even when the shot wasn’t that forcefully hit and the ball wasn’t far away from where the goalkeeper was standing. He does have little arms for a player of that position.
A few days ago, Daily Mail reported that United are targeting a move for the England international in the summer, should David de Gea leave the club this summer. The latter himself has had a questionable season and may need replacing soon.
But, here’s what Keane said about Pickford (h/t Independent):
“Pickford, for the goal [Gundogan free-kick]…my goodness. He looks so small in there. There’s no spring, he’s not anticipating. Micah said before the game he’s a top goalkeeper. He’s not.”
As good as Pickford can be on his day, he does have mistakes in him. Moreover, the 29-year-old is not that comfortable playing out from the back. As a footnote, all he has done at Everton is boot the ball up and hope somebody sticks it and engages with the opposition defenders.
So, it would make no sense for United to replace an error-prone, dodgy-on-his-feet keeper with another one with a similar attribute.
Coming back to what Keane said, he is right. Pickford can be world-class on his day but he lacks consistency. One cannot rely on him to play 3-4 seasons at an elite level without making any high-profile error/s.
Hence, Erik ten Hag and his staff should find better keepers to sign in the summer. They must look for someone who is comfortable on the ball and can become an extra man in possession, just how Ederson is for Manchester City.
More Manchester United News:
- Manchester United make ‘colossal’ salary offer to Napoli defender Kim Min-jae
- Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes that Manchester United deserve to be in top four
- David Moyes believes Manchester United target Declan Rice could leave this summer
It would be tough to find a keeper of a specific skill set, but that is when scouting comes to mind. Let’s see how strong United’s scouting has been over the past year.
