Tuesday 1 September 2015 20:00, UK
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is facing a goalkeeping conundrum after David de Gea's transfer to Real Madrid dramatically collapsed late on Monday night.
An administrative hitch – for which Madrid have blamed United – means De Gea will be staying at Old Trafford despite everything being agreed for a part-exchange involving Keylor Navas.
United have two weeks until their next Premier League fixture against Liverpool, but who will be Van Gaal's number one? Here, we look at the Dutchman's options, with Sergio Romero and Victor Valdes also in contention…
Recalling De Gea
"If you've got a keeper of that quality you would be stupid not to use him." That was the assessment of Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher after United's 2-1 defeat to Swansea on Super Sunday.
De Gea's quality is without question. The Spaniard has been Manchester United's player of the year for the last two seasons, and the stats indicate he saved the Red Devils 10 points in the 2014/15 campaign alone.
For United, however, reinstating their best 'keeper may not be as simple as it seems. De Gea is yet to feature in a match day squad this campaign having been frozen out by Van Gaal amid concerns over his state of mind.
Indeed, the 24-year-old's refusal to sign a new contract at United is common knowledge, and Spanish football expert Guillem Balague said on Monday that De Gea had been keen to push through the move to Madrid "as soon as possible".
Why would he become the number one again if he's not been there for the last two or three weeks?
Earlier this month there were even reports that he was made to train with United's reserves, and former United defender Gary Neville feels it could be a long road back for a player who appeared to have packed his bags.
"Why would he just all of a sudden go back into goal?" asked the Sky Sports pundit on Super Sunday. "Why would he become the number one again if he's not been there for the last two or three weeks? It would be a strange situation, for me."
Romero's errors in the defeat to Swansea highlighted United's goalkeeping issues, but former England shot-stopper Paul Robinson agrees with Neville's comments about recalling De Gea.
"Van Gaal has got a situation to sort out," Robinson told Sky Sports News HQ on Deadline Day. "De Gea, who thought he was going to be playing in the Bernabeu next week, might find himself playing in United's U21s for some game experience."
How De Gea reacts to missing out on his move to Madrid is likely to be crucial to what happens next. The international break gives him some time away from Old Trafford to consider his immediate future, and United will be hoping he can put the episode behind him and be reintegrated into the first team picture when he returns.
Sticking with Romero
De Gea's absence has been Romero's gain. The summer signing from Sampdoria has started all six of United's Premier League and Champions League games this season, and Van Gaal's next option would be to stand by the Argentina international.
That option seemed more attractive prior to the Swansea game. Romero had only conceded once in his first five appearances for United, but he shipped two soft goals at the Liberty Stadium, and the Sky Sports punditry team felt he failed his first real test.
"He kept three clean sheets [in the Premier League] but he had nothing to do," said Carragher after the game. "That was the first time today when he was asked questions. You want him to make that one save that wins you the game."
Indeed, the stats show Romero has only had to make seven saves in four Premier League games so far, which proves how infrequently he has been tested. Carragher was particularly unimpressed by his failure to prevent Bafetimbi Gomis scoring at his near post for Swansea's second – and he felt De Gea would have been equal to the effort.
"De Gea in those situations, he was always in control," he said. "Romero comes and then he goes back and he finds himself in between. He's not on top of the runner smothering it, or back on his line saying, 'Go on, beat me'. He just finds himself in no man's land and the reaction is poor."
Neville added: "He gets too close to the ball, which means he can't collapse his body quickly enough to get down. If he was at the near post, he's saving that with his feet. He makes a really bad technical error.
"We asked the question about Romero before the game," Neville continued. "He's done well and not conceded a goal, but we said there will come a game when the test will come – and it happened out there. The test came.
"A Manchester United goalkeeper might have to make one or two saves in a match, particularly when they've got 65 per cent possession. You've got to make them, it's as simple as that."
He's played in a World Cup final, but for Manchester United going forward over the next three or four years and wanting to get back to winning titles and Champions Leagues, I don't think that's enough.
Romero has 65 caps for Argentina, but he has been second choice at club level for much of his career, and Carragher feels he lacks the requisite quality to be United's main man. "He's played in a World Cup final, but for Manchester United going forward over the next three or four years and wanting to get back to winning titles and Champions Leagues, I don't think that's enough," he said.
Van Gaal knows Romero well from their time together at AZ Alkmaar, but it remains to be seen whether the 28-year-old has done enough to keep De Gea out of the team in the long-term.
Valdes lifeline?
Victor Valdes is something of a forgotten man in United's goalkeeping conundrum. The former Barcelona man looked set to join Besiktas before the transfer deadline, but the move collapsed and on Monday he appeared to pledge his loyalty to United by uploading an image the club's badge to his Facebook page.
So could Van Gaal let him back into the picture at Old Trafford? Reconciliation would take some work. The 33-year-old has not even been allowed to eat with his team-mates at United's Carrington training base since Van Gaal accused him of refusing to play for United's U21s last season, and he has not made a single appearance since May.
"He is not selected because he doesn't follow our philosophy and there is no place for that one player," said the Dutchman in July. "When you are not willing to follow the principles of the philosophy, then there is only one way and that is out."
But a move has not come to fruition, and Valdes' social media hint suggests he is willing to make a go of things at Old Trafford. Indeed, having only signed an 18-month deal at the club in January, Valdes is under contract until next summer.
The 33-year-old is not without pedigree, either. Valdes is a three-time winner of the Champions League with Barcelona, and if he can resolve his differences with Van Gaal, he could offer another solution between the sticks.
