HERE WE GO: Man United complete the signing of another world class goalkeeper,deal signed today,He will bench Onana when He returns from Afcon
Manchester United have signed goalkeeper Kie Plumley on a free transfer to boost their options in the position.
Plumley has been without a club since leaving Oxford United at the end of last season. He failed to make a senior appearance for the U’s, with his sole outing in senior football coming at Oxford City in the 2021/2022 campaign.
He also had loan spells at West-Super Mare and Beaconsfield, but from those lowly beginnings, Plumley has now been included in United’s Premier League squad. His arrival comes amid much change in the Red Devils’ goalkeeping department.
David de Gea, Dean Henderson, Matej Kovar and Nathan Bishop all left Old Trafford in the summer window. In their place, boss Erik ten Hag brought in Andre Onana to take over as number one and Altay Bayındı to act as his back-up.
Tom Heaton remains in a veteran third-choice role, while Plumley is expected to occupy a back-up role in United’s youth sides over the coming season. Still, it is a dream move for a player who grew up as a boyhood Red Devils fan.
He recently reversed a decision to retire from international football, playing all 90 minutes in a 3-0 win over Burundi that sealed their qualification for the tournament. AFCON was delayed due to to adverse summer weather concerns in the Ivory Coast.
Instead, it will take place from January 13 to February 11, 2024, with Onana ruled out for up to nine games. He will miss Premier League clashes against Tottenham, Wolves, West Ham and Aston Villa up to two FA Cip ties and potentially the first leg of the Champions League Last 16.
If United make it to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, Onana would also miss both legs of the final four clash. It would be a huge blow for boss Ten Hag to lose his first choice keeper, but the Dutchman insisted he had confidence in his back-up options.
“I know everything about it, so of course we spoke about that situation before we signed him and we will be in good contact with Andre on how to deal with the situation,” Ten Hag said before the defeat to Arsenal.
I’m in good contact with Andre and we are on the same page, we know what to do, and also we know how we construct the squad if [he does play at the Africa Cup of Nations]. But, as I said, we have to speak about it and then we will make a decision.
