United’s Best Ever Backup Goalkeeper 6 May 2017 12:28

 

By Philip Meese, Chief Editor

During Manchester United’s 1-0 Europa League victory over Celta Vigo on Thursday, Argentine international goalkeeper Sergio Romero had another fine game. While never seriously tested, only having to make one major save, it is worth noting that he is certainly a worthwhile backup.

One post on Twitter stated that he is best back up goalkeeper Manchester United have ever had. While that is a bold statement, it is one that seems to carry some weight. The list below takes a look at the other goalkeepers who have been backup to the number one spot at Old Trafford in recent history.

Gary Walsh

Contrary to popular belief, Gary Walsh was not actually a totally home-grown player. He was spotted playing for Wigan Athletic by Ron Atkinson a few months before he was sacked as manager of Manchester United in 1986. He took him to Old Trafford, and fielded him against City in that year’s F.A. Youth Cup final.

An injury to first choice Gary Bailey meant that Walsh was handed his debut by Alex Ferguson aged just 18, in a 3-3 draw at Villa Park. Bailey’s failure to recover, and subsequent retirement, meant that Walsh briefly became first choice keeper for most of the 1986-87 season. The following season saw him vying with Chris Turner for the position. Walsh sustained a head injury on the club’s tour of Bermuda in 1988, and Ferguson’s decision to buy Jim Leighton made it difficult for Walsh to establish himself further. This, combined with further injuries meant that Walsh went a full two seasons without making an appearance.

He finally returned to the team in the 1990-91 season, but as back up to F.A. Cup final hero Les Sealey. When Peter Schmeichel was signed the following summer, Walsh seemed destined to remain on the bench, and that is how it was for the remainder of his United career.

In his final season, 1994-95, Walsh was used sixteen times, thanks mainly to an injury suffered by the Danish keeper. Many United fans, however, will forever associate him with the 4-0 defeat in Barcelona. Walsh was drafted in because of UEFA’s three foreigner rule, but couldn’t really be blamed for any of the goals that night. At the end of that season, he joined former team mate Bryan Robson at Middlesbrough.

Les Sealey

Although the late Les Sealey was at one time the first choice goalkeeper at Old Trafford, his second spell at United saw him make less headlines. Despite winning the 1990 F.A. Cup, and the European Cup Winner’s Cup a year later, Schmeichel’s arrival in 1991 signalled the end of Sealey’s time as number one. He transferred to Aston Villa, where he was largely backup to Nigel Spink, and later Mark Bosnich.

He returned to Old Trafford in 1993, and his main job was to battle Gary Walsh for the number two spot. He didn’t make a single Premier League appearance for Manchester United, and played only twice in his second spell in all competitions. The first appearance was as a substitute in the F.A. Cup against Charlton Athletic, following Schmeichel’s sending off. His subsequent suspension meant that Sealey started the 1994 League Cup Final, a 3-1 defeat to his old club Aston Villa.

Towads the end of the 1993-94 season, Schmeichel picked up an injury against Ipswich Town. Walsh was on the bench that day, and came on to replace the Dane. He was then picked for the remaining two league matches, while United battled to get Schmeichel fit for the F.A. Cup Final against Chelsea. At the end of that season, Sealey was given a free transfer to Blackpool, and later played for West Ham. Following his retirement in 1998, he moved onto the coaching staff at Upton Park. He was still employed by the Hammers in 2001, when he suffered a fatal heart attack at the age of 43.

Raimond van der Gouw

During the summer of 1996, Manchester United needed a backup goalkeeper. They turned to the previously unheard of Dutch stopper Raimond van Der Gouw, who was signed from Vitesse. He made his debut within a month of signing, in a 0-0 draw at Villa Park, and made a couple of appearances in the League Cup. His most notable appearance was in the Champions League semi-final against Borussia Dortmund. A late replaced for Schmeichel, who was injured in the warm up, but even he would have struggled to stop René Tretschok’s deflected goal. Van der Gouw’s performance stopped a couple of Dortmund goals that night.

Over the next two seasons, he was understudy to the Danish keeper, making sporadic Premier League appearances and first choice for the League Cup. In was only after Schmeichel left in 1999 following the Treble that van der Gouw began to be selected regularly. The main reason was that the Dane’s replacement, Mark Bosnich, could not be relied upon to stay fit, and didn’t convince anyone when available. The less said about Massimo Taibi’s short-lived spell, the better. The 1999-00 season was the only season that Raimond van der Gouw made more than twenty appearances for the club. It was also the only season he wasn’t used in the League Cup.

In the summer of 2000, Alex Ferguson bought Fabien Barthez from Monaco, and van der Gouw was once again reduced to a bit-part role. He remained at Old Trafford until the summer of 2002, when he completed a free transfer to West Ham.

Tomasz Kuszczak

Over a six year spell at Old Trafford, the Polish international made more than 60 appearances for the club. Brought in on loan from West Bromwich Albion during the summer of 2006, he made an impressive debut against Arsenal. Despite a 1-0 defeat, Kuszczak saved a penalty and won praise for his overall performance. As understudy to Edwin van der Sar, he was mainly used in both the F.A. and League Cups. At the end of that season, his transfer was made permanent.

Over the next five seasons, Kuszczak would battle with Ben Foster and later Anders Lindegaard for the role of second choice goalkeeper at the club. He saw plenty of game time simply because of the amount of games United played in that time. They would regularly get to the latter stages of the domestic cup competitions. In 2008, he received a red card in the F.A. Cup quarter-final against Portsmouth, and because United had used all of their substitutes, Rio Ferdinand had to go in net and face the resulting penalty.

Following David de Gea’s transfer to United in 2011, Kuszczak did not make a further appearance, and was loaned out to Watford. His contract expired in 2012, and then joined Brighton & Hove Albion. After a frustrating spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers, he is now in his third season at Birmingham City. Having won the Premier League, League Cup, Champions League and FIFA World Club Cup largely as a reserve, he is the most successful back-up goalkeeper in United’s history.

Ben Foster

Ben Foster was spotted by Sir Alex Ferguson during the Football League Trophy Final in 2005. He had gone to watch his son, former United player Darren, who scored the winner in that game. Foster, on loan at Wrexham from Stoke City, caught Ferguson’s attention enough to convince him to bid for his services. Foster was immediately loaned out to Watford, spending two years at Vicarage Road. During this time, he helped them get promotion to the Premier League in his first season, and played in it for them in his second.

Despite Watford wanting to keep Foster for a further year, he was recalled back to Old Trafford for the 2007-08 season. He made just one appearance, his debut in a 1-0 win at Derby. The following season he was used mainly in the domestic cup competitions. He started the 2009 League Cup Final, and his heroics won the penalty shootout which followed a goalless 120 minutes. This performance saw him given his England debut by Fabio Capello.

Ferguson had hinted that he saw Ben Foster being the club’s future number one, and van der Sar’s injury at the start of the 2009-10 season gave him the chance to prove it. Unfortunately for the goalkeeper, errors against Arsenal, Manchester City and Sunderland didn’t exactly give the manager a selection headache when the Dutchman was fit again.

Foster only made two more appearances for the club, with Tomasz Kuszczak preferred as van der Sar’s understudy for the remainder of the campaign. In the summer of 2010, he was sold to Birmingham City. When they were relegated a year later, he moved to West Bromwich Albion, where he remains first choice goalkeeper.

Anders Lindegaard

It seems strange to imagine wanting David de Gea dropped from the team because he was costing the team points. This was the situation, however, less than five years ago when some United fans preferred Lindegaard to the Spanish goalkeeper.

Brought into the club in January 2011, Lindegaard was given his first team debut soon afterwards in an F.A. Cup win at Southampton. It was no secret that United were scouting for van der Sar’s replacement, following the announcement of his intention to retire. His replacement was, of course, de Gea, who took a while to adjust to the rigors of the Premier League. In his first two seasons, Ferguson regularly juggled between the two goalkeepers, but eventually settled on de Gea. As the Spanish goalkeeper rapidly became one of the world’s best shot-stoppers, Lindegaard began to be well acquainted with the substitute’s bench.

Following Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, Lindegaard only played three more games for the club, all under David Moyes. When Louis van Gaal took over the following year, Lindegaard was largely pushed out of the first team picture altogether. When his contract expired in 2015, he joined West Bromwich Albion, later moving on to his current club, Preston North End.

Sergio Romero

In the summer of 2015, Romero had just been realised by Italian club Sampdoria. At that time it looked like de Gea was about to move to Real Madrid, and United swooped to sign the Argentina international. With Víctor Valdés banished from the first team squad following an argument with van Gaal, Romero started the season as United’s first choice goalkeeper. He initially looked rather solid, but was criticised by some fans for a poor performance at Swansea.

When a dodgy fax machine put paid to de Gea’s transfer, the Spanish keeper signed a new contract and was immediately reinstated to the first team. Romero was consigned to the cup competitions after this, making ten appearances in total last season.

This season Romero has featured in the majority of United’s Europa League fixtures. Should United reach the final, many fans are speculating whether he will keep his place. Romero has played in a World Cup Final, and would not be fazed by the big stage.  That said, with a return to the Champions League at stake, few would be surprised if he selects de Gea. Only Mourinho can answer that question, but the chances are he would want to select his strongest possible side.

So who is the Best Backup goalkeeper United have ever had?

There are several others who didn’t make the list, such as Tim Howard, Roy Carroll and Mark Bosnich, however, they were all first choice for the club at some time or another.

It’s actually hard to see past Romero as the best backup goalkeeper in our recent history. Out of all of the above, he has a higher pedigree than any of them. An Argentina international with over 80 caps, who played in the biggest game of all less than three years ago. In spite of spending certain parts of his career as a backup at several clubs, he has been first choice for his country for over a decade. In fact, no other goalkeeper has won more caps for Argentina in their history.

If David de Gea does leave Old Trafford in the summer, as the rumours suggest he will, United will no doubt be linked with several replacements. It is fair to say, however, that whoever comes in will be thought of as a downgrade. With that in mind, Romero has done nothing to suggest he isn’t worth giving a try.