The soccer club Manchester United is currently in the process of hiring a goalkeeper recruitment analyst in order to identify potential first-team players.
An advertisement for an analyst to join United's technical chief scout team was posted earlier this month on the United website "with the specific purpose of identifying players who demonstrate the potential to play for the first-team." The data collection that underpins the decision-making process will be the analyst's responsibility to carry out.
The United football director John Murtough has added Dominic Jordan as the head of data science and Andy O'Boyle as the deputy football director to his staff over the course of the past year. Murtough is the director of football for the United team. Mick Court will continue to serve as the team's technical chief scout.
David de Gea, Manchester United's first-choice goalkeeper, is currently in the final year of his current contract, but the club has the option to extend it by one more season and is expected to make a decision before the month of January is over.
During the preseason, De Gea, who is now 31 years old, stated that he wanted to end his career with Manchester United. However, there is continued scrutiny over his distribution, and he has been cut from the Spain squad by coach Luis Enrique.
The futures of all of the senior goalkeepers for United are up in the air, and one of them, Dean Henderson, is particularly bitter because he did not get any playing time in the previous season.
The 25-year-old Henderson is currently playing for Nottingham Forest on loan for the entire season. He has not even had a conversation with United manager Erik ten Hag. Despite this, the England international is under contract to play for his parent club until 2025.
Tom Heaton, who is 36 years old and will be free of his contract the following year, while Martin Dubravka, who is on loan from Newcastle but has been the team's third-choice goalkeeper. Nathan Bishop moved to United from Southend in January 2020. He was named to the substitutes' bench for the first time in the Premier League during the game against West Ham. Bishop has also entered the final year of his contract. Heaton and Bishop both have extension options on their respective contracts with United.
After De Gea made three key saves in his team's 1-0 victory over West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday, Ten Hag praised the goalkeeper's "magnificent" performance.
Ten Hag stated that everyone is entitled to their own opinion as well as their own philosophy. "In my opinion, the most important thing for a goalkeeper to do is to protect the goal by preventing any goals from being scored against them, and in that regard, he is outstanding.
"And on the feet, in my opinion, he possesses the capabilities as well. " During this season, he is getting better in that role with each game that he plays. It is not only the responsibility of the goalkeeper but also of the player in front of them; the question is how to provide the goalkeeper with multiple options for receiving passes. Because he does not have the options to pass around when they do not bring freedom or when they are in the wrong positions, he does not have those options.
But he has shown in the games that he has played so far that he is capable of achieving this goal. I believe that he will get better at that role with each game that he plays."
"What we said on this issue about negotiating from the whole squad, we said first we're focusing in this part of the season on the games," Ten Hag stated once again. "We said first we're focusing in this part of the season on the games and when we're coming to the end of this block and going to the World Cup, of course we have to think about that." In the meantime, we are formulating plans for how to handle the situation.
"But it is quite clear, and I have emphasised it several times: I am extremely content with David. He is a fantastic goalkeeper, he is only 31, he is in good shape, and he still has room for improvement. He was already doing a good job of impressing Man United's fans, and I believe he will continue to do so in the future.
Last year, De Gea started all but three games, but he could have his most involved campaign under Ten Hag, as the Dutch coach has chosen the Spaniard to start all five games in the group stage of the Europa League.
United paid Atletico Madrid £18.9 million to acquire De Gea in 2011, and since then he has won the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Europa League, and four Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year awards. De Gea was originally signed by United from Atletico Madrid.
