Louis van Gaal announced that last season’s Manchester United number one David de Gea wasn’t in the right frame of mind to start in his sides opening Premier League fixture.

That pre-match press conference bombshell lead to a debate on who would start in goal for the ‘Red Devils’?

It now seems certain that De Gea will be on his way back to Spain and playing for Real Madrid before the transfer window shuts.

Spanish internationalist Victor Valdes has been banished from the first-team and placed on the transfer list after he refused to  play for the reserve side last term. So it was to safe that he wasn’t going to be playing.

So many in the media felt it was a three-way battle between new-boy Sergio Romero, long-term back-up Anders Lindegaard or youngster Sam Johnstone.

To be honest I don’t know why it was even debated as I automatically assumed that it would be Argentine Romero that would takeover between the sticks at Old Trafford.

Sergio was indeed Van Gaal’s choice.

But can the twenty-eight year old hang onto the vital role for the rest of the season? 

Well I’d imagine that Van Gaal will want to buy another keeper if De Gea is sold between now and the end of the month.

If he goes after a top-class expensive replacement in the mould of Hugo Lloris, Dutchman Jasper Cillessen or Atletico Madrid star Jan Oblak then you’d imagine that they’ll come in as automatic choices.

But perhaps the United boss will bring in another decent player who can challenge Romero.

It’s odd that so many in the media were questioning Romero before the match against Tottenham today. But then I remembered that the British press is always suspicious of a player that they’ve not seen in the Premier League before.

Yes he was back-up at Sampdoria last year and had a similar role at Monaco in the 2013-14 season but he’s still an experienced goalie.

He has sixty-two caps for Argentina after all and was their first choice goalkeeper at the 2014 World Cup, where they lost out narrowly to Germany in the final.

The keeper’s made over 150 appearances in European league football.

Importantly, Romero has the trust of Van Gaal. The two worked together at AZ Alkmaar, where they won the Eredivisie title in 2009.

The Dutch manager explained to MUTV why he signed Romero:

“I know him very well and I think in our situation, if De Gea is going or not going, it is always a threat and we have to take care, make sure that we are prepared and that is why I think it is very good that Sergio Romero is now a Manchester United player.”

He is a goalkeeper and he stops the balls, and that is also his position but he can also build up with his feet and that is, in our profile, very important. But also his stature is very good, he is tall.”

You can’t really judge him on his performance against Spurs today, although he did do well in the 1-0 win.

Much of the game was played at a pedestrian pace. But within that the Argentine showed that he could keep up his concentration levels and snuff out danger when needed.

He also showed good presence of mind when he came out and dealt with crosses that came into his box. Commanding your area is a big advantage for any goalie who plies his trade in the English Premier League.

In the closing moments Sergio got down well and showed a strong fist as he beat away a Christian Eriksen shot.

His distribution from his feet was positive as most of his passes found their desired targets in red shirts. Although he was rushed early on.

All in all, it was an assured performance that would have settled down the nerves of any doubting fan or teammate. Obviously getting a win and keeping a cleansheet was a huge plus for the goalkeeper.

Should Sergio Romero hold onto the gloves for the next few weeks?

Yes, he didn’t let his side down and looked good when called upon. He’s an experienced goalkeeper and that shouldn’t be overlooked just because a few haven’t seen much of him before.

Should he stay in goals for the remainder of the season? 

Well that is one for Louis van Gaal, a manager who knows more than most about Sergio Romero!

Posted on August 8th, 2015 by scott
Filed under: Article