If Tuesday night’s performance by Schalke’s Manuel Neuer isn’t the definition of world class goalkeeping, then I don’t know what is. The German somehow single-handedly kept the score down to a respectable 2-0 when 10-0 by half time looked more likely. Neuer has been singled out as an adept replacement for Edwin Van Der Sar since he announced that he would retire at the end of the season, but reportedly a deal is in place for the keeper to join Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich at the end of the season, so have the Red Devils missed the boat in not snapping up Neuer? Or perhaps Arsenal should have made a move for the German international after their well documented goalkeeping troubles.
Arsenal have been struggling to find a goalkeeper with even half the talent of David Seaman since the Englishman’s departure, and with Almunia, Fabianski and Szczesny showing only brief spells of brilliance in amongst dropped crosses and miscommunications with their back four, surely Manuel Neuer would have been the man to finally fill the huge hole left by Seaman’s retirement (and to a certain extent, Jens Lehmann). Neuer, like the two just mentioned, is a great commander of his area and a vocal goalkeeper is a must, something Arsenal definitely don’t have; I’m referring to the calamitous and costly Carling Cup Final mix up, of course. It is unsurprising, though, that Arsenal have failed to even register a strong transfer rumour for the German because, lets face it, the only way that Neuer would be heading to the Emirates is if he were a 16 year old youth product of La Masia.
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Neuer would have been a great option for the Red Devils, with Tomasz Kuszczak clearly not Peter Schmeichel standard and already part of the planned summer clear-out at Old Trafford, allowing Neuer to slot in nicely ahead of recent signing Anders Lindegaard, who himself looks consistent without ever being top class. The lure for Alex Ferguson in having Neuer is the 25 year old’s copious amount of experience for someone of his relatively young age; having been highly rated throughout his fledgling career, Neuer has six seasons of first team football under his belt, and without a doubt the German number one could have gone on to be Man U’s number one shot stopper for at least a decade.
Still, there is hope yet for Manchester United and Arsenal, with the former being even more heavily linked with the German since reports of a breakdown in communications between Schalke and Bayern Munich, and the latter supposedly set to enjoy a rare frolic in the transfer window this summer after Stan Kroenke gained a majority of shares in the club. So, for the benefit of the Premier League and the enjoyment of its fans, let’s hope that the German opts to ply his trade in England next season (and several seasons after that).
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