Manager and teammate rave about star signed from Man Utd after successful debut

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Former Manchester United goalkeeper Matej Kovar made a successful debut for Bayer Leverkusen last night.

Matej Kovar has earned praise after impressing on his Bayer Leverkusen debut. The former Manchester United goalkeeper kept a clean sheet in a 4-0 win over Swedish side Hacken.

Kovar won the Czech title on loan at Sparta Prague last season and impressed for Manchester United in pre-season early in the summer.

United decided to cash in, netting a fee for £7.7 million, which includes a buy-back clause, per BBC Sport.

READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfers in, out, loans, releases, youth for 2023/24

Praise for Kovar

Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso explained his decision to select Kovar for his debut.

He told BILD: “I wanted to see that he could play and that he was ready. And it was important for him that he felt like he could play again. Matej is calm, he can play well.”

He added that he was unclear if he will remain as the Europa League goalkeeper, and confirmed Lukas Hradecky will return in the Bundesliga at the weekend.

“There is no definitive decision. We had now decided on Häcken. We’ll see what happens. Lukas is in goal on Sunday.”

Teammate Jonathan Tah also spoke after the game and praised Kovar: “I’m happy for him that he was able to make his debut. He played a good game, he’s also doing well in training, he should keep it up.”

Manchester United let a top talent go

It is no surprise to see Kovar performing well at a high level. He looked like a class act in pre-season, and it is fair to suggest Manchester United would be no worse off right now if he was the number one this season.

What rankles with United fans is the low fee he was allowed to leave for. £7.7 million is a very low fee in the modern game, and Kovar is an outstanding prospect.

When you see City selling James Trafford for £19 million to Burnley, it certainly looks like United should have got more for Kovar, especially if he continues to impress at Leverkusen.