Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd transfer news: Ball-playing keeper with impressive stats emerges on Ten Hag radar but Leicester also keen

Odysseas Vlachodimos Benfica

Manchester United have reportedly their sights on Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos as a potential replacement for the long-serving David de Gea.

The Red Devils snapped up Martin Dubravka on loan from Premier League rivals Newcastle over the summer after allowing Dean Henderson to make his own temporary switch to Nottingham Forest.

However, the Magpies do have the option to recall the Slovakian in the new year, leaving United to cast their net over another potential back-up option in January.

And according to Media Foot, that is where Greece international Vlachodimos fits in.

The French outlet claims that United could go head-to-head with Leicester City to land the 28-year-old.

Vlachodimos has been outstanding in the early stages of the new season for Benfica. Indeed, he has kept nine clean sheets from 15 appearances while conceding just seven goals in the process.

The stopper also starred in the 1-1 Champions League draw with PSG, making seven saves on the night.

One area that Vlachodimos is particularly strong is his ball-playing ability, something lacking with De Gea.

He has completed over 76 percent of his passes for club and country this campaign. That figure is far superior to De Gea’s current average of 66.3 for Erik ten Hag’s men.

The £13.5 million-rated star has better stats with his long-ball distribution per game. And those factors are key for Ten Hag, who wants his keeper to play out confidently from the back.

De Gea’s current £375,000-a-week expires in the summer of 2023. However, the club do have an option to extend that deal for another 12 months.

But with the club’s annual salary bill only going up, they may decide to cut their losses and end De-Gea’s 11-year stay at the end of the current campaign.

Leicester also in running for United target

However, if United are to make a move for Vlachodimos they will have to act quickly. Premier League rivals Leicester are looking at the Greek as Kasper Schmeichel’s long-term replacement.

Current Foxes stopper Danny Ward has had his struggles this season, with the club languishing down at the bottom.

Vlachodimos moved to Portugal from Panathinaikos in 2018 and has gone on make 169 appearances for the club.

As for Dea, United legend Gary Neville recently suggested his time could be up at Old Trafford.

Speaking after the 6-3 rout at Manchester City last weekend, Neville said: “The goalkeeper needs to be brilliant on the ball and I suspect that with David de Gea, his career at Manchester United is probably going to be short-lived under Erik ten Hag.

“Because he’s going to be absolutely adamant that his philosophy of playing out from the back, playing through midfield, playing those little risky passes that we see City and Ederson do all the time – that we no longer see as risky because they do it so well – is something that I think he’s striving for and wants to get to.”

United are next in action on Sunday evening when they travel to Everton.

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