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Manchester United announce the departure of 21-year-old player

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Manchester United goalkeeper Ondrej Mastny

Manchester United shot-stopper Ondrej Mastny returns to former club FC Vysocina Jihlava on a permanent move

As stated by the club’s official website, Manchester United have officially announced that young goalkeeper Ondrej Mastny has secured a permanent move away from Old Trafford.

Mastny has re-joined his former Czech club, FC Vysocina Jihlava, pending international clearance. The 21-year-old joined the Red Devils in 2018 from Jilhava, a second-tier team in the Czech Republic’s football league system.

Despite his time with the club, he did not have the opportunity to make an appearance in the first-team matches.

Notably, he is the second goalkeeper to leave Man United on the same day, following the path of his compatriot Matej Kovar, who recently joined Bayer Leverkusen.

Manchester United youngster Ondrej Mastny set to join his former club FC Vysocina Jihlava (Image Credit: Getty Images)
Manchester United youngster Ondrej Mastny is set to join his former club FC Vysocina Jihlava (Image Credit: Getty Images)

In the previous season, Mastny was loaned to Portadown in Northern Ireland, where he accumulated eight appearances at the senior level.

Although Mastny didn’t feature in any senior team matches, he was swiftly moved up from the under-18s following his debut season. He made 18 appearances for United’s under-21 side.

He became a consistent presence in the Under-21 squad, participating in various competitions including the Premier League 2, FA Youth Cup, EFL Trophy, and UEFA Youth League.

Having spent five years with the club, the Czech star has now returned to his home country. His departure marks the second instance of a goalkeeper leaving the club on the same day.

Regarding United’s Under-21 team, Radek Vitek and Dermot Mee will now compete for a starting position in the upcoming season following the exit of Mastny.

The departure of Kovar and Mastny is part of a larger trend of goalkeepers leaving Man United this summer.

Notably, David de Gea, who held the prominent position of the club’s number one for 12 years, has also moved on. His role has been taken over by Andre Onana, who recently arrived from Inter Milan in this transfer window.

Man United shot-stopper Ondrej Mastny failed to make a single appearance for the senior side (Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Man United shot-stopper Ondrej Mastny failed to make a single appearance for the senior side (Photo by Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Additionally, Nathan Bishop left United to join Sunderland. This situation has left Erik ten Hag with three senior goalkeeper choices: Onana, Dean Henderson, and Tom Heaton.

Both Henderson and Heaton have garnered interest from other clubs this summer. Henderson is being pursued by Nottingham Forest, while Heaton has attracted attention from multiple English clubs.

However, with the new season underway, it is highly likely for these two keepers to stay put at Old Trafford this summer.

It’s so surprising to see such drastic changes in the goalkeeping department, as the club has been sticking to the same options for several seasons.

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It highlights the fact that football is an ever-changing sport, and it implies this for the teams as well.

The game demands more creativity from time to time, and adapting to the changes helps the players bring out the best in themselves.