Manchester United might be about to make a Sergio Aguero decision of their own – Tyrone Marshall

In a bit of over a month in the summertime of 2011 two of Atletico Madrid’s finest gamers swapped the sunshine of the Spanish capital for Manchester.

David de Gea opted for the purple nook with United, signing on the finish of June, and on the finish of July his former teammate Sergio Aguero pitched up within the blue nook of city.

After a decade of service Aguero will bid a fond farewell to Manchester Metropolis on the finish of this season and it isn’t unattainable that his profession will observe an analogous path to De Gea as soon as once more. Having arrived in Manchester on the similar time, they may but depart on the similar time.

Whether or not that may be a seemingly end result will grow to be clearer on Sunday when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer picks his facet for the Premier League conflict with Brighton. Dean Henderson has loved a reasonably profitable six-game audition filling in for De Gea whereas he is been on paternity depart, however has he completed sufficient to persuade Solskjaer that he is not the way forward for United goalkeepers, however the current?

At 24 and with a listing’s value of ambitions to tick off, Henderson is unlikely to wish to be thought-about the longer term any longer. He needs to be immediately’s man somewhat than tomorrow’s, for United and England. On Sunday we’ll uncover if his want is to be fulfilled.

Henderson stored his place in opposition to AC Milan and Leicester Metropolis within the week earlier than the worldwide break, when De Gea had returned to coaching, however they had been cup competitions he was anticipated to begin in anyway. It is within the Premier League that we’ll uncover if there was a change to the established order.

Solskjaer has at all times burdened that the onus is on the 2 goalkeepers to maintain him completely satisfied, somewhat than the opposite means round, and that performances will dictate who begins, however the joust between them is not a state of affairs that may be continued for for much longer. Neither will wish to settle for being a No.2 goalkeeper.

De Gea actually deserves some loyalty at United. He is proven loads of that to the membership throughout some tough spells over the earlier eight years and at 30 he ought to nonetheless be in his prime as a goalkeeper, however it’s a really shut name as to who’s the higher man for the job proper now.

The Spaniard has performed 434 video games for United, however it does really feel like a altering of the guard is due. Henderson has completed little or no fallacious in De Gea’s absence and he is proven along with his command of his penalty space and his distribution that he could be a extra trendy goalkeeper than the four-times participant of the season he is competing with.

One thing that will have to be thought-about as an element is how straightforward promoting both goalkeeper will likely be. Henderson signed a six-year contract final summer season, though he’s younger for a goalkeeper and ticks packing containers as a home-grown participant. De Gea’s deal, signed in the summertime of 2019, makes him the best-paid goalkeeper on the planet. Discovering a membership prepared to even get near these figures could also be unattainable post-pandemic.

But when De Gea does lose his place then the attract of transferring someplace he’ll play each week could be too necessary. What occurs on Sunday will give us a clearer indication of who Solskjaer sees as his first-choice goalkeeper.

On the Etihad Aguero will likely be carried out of the stadium for the ultimate time, a statue already commissioned in his honour. There will likely be no statue for De Gea, however he has constructed up a reservoir of respect throughout his time on the membership. If that is to be the tip he’ll deserve a equally fond farewell.