Almighty Goalie Mêlée To Ensue At Old Trafford
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Almighty Goalie Mêlée To Ensue At Old Trafford
All signs point towards a battle for Manchester United's No.1 jersey...
Manchester United put in an assured performance as they shrugged off West Ham at Old Trafford on Wednesday evening. Tomasz Kuszczak was given the nod between the sticks and boss Sir Alex Ferguson has warned his trio of 'keepers that he'll be rotating them as he considers his options.
The gaffer told the club's official channel after the game: "Edwin turned 38 today and we don’t need him to play every game because we have two very capable goalkeepers in Tomasz Kuszczak and Ben Foster.
"Ben being back fit is a big bonus to us because he is an outstanding goalkeeper; I may even play him at Celtic Park next week. "They will all get their minutes on the clock."
Goalkeeper's Job
Fergie's semi-promise to Foster comes just after the 25-year-old's agent linked him with a move to Tottenham Hotspur. New White Hart Lane gaffer Harry Redknapp is on Red alert following Heurelho Gomes' shaky start to the season and has been tipped to loan Foster initially, with a view to a summer bid.
Foster's agent Lee Payne told Setanta when asked about the Spurs speculation: "Ben needs to play and he wants to do that at Manchester United, but if the option was given for him to do it elsewhere then he would jump at it."
The last man to wear the Red Devils gloves, though, was Kuszczak, who shut out Gianfranco Zola's attack-minded Hammers. The 26-year-old Poland international said: "It's always nice when I can play...I hadn't played for six weeks.
"The first game after a break like that is always difficult, more mentally than physically, because it's not easy to concentrate for 90 minutes when you have almost nothing to do. However, this is the goalkeeper's job and we have to do it properly."
Veteran Van der Sar, meanwhile, who recently retired from the Dutch international side after a brief return, said earlier in the week: "I feel really good at the moment and playing games is what it’s all about."
Thus, it doesn't seem as though any of United's goalkeepers are prepared to be second or third in the pecking order.