A couple of months ago, former Manchester United coach Benni McCarthy provided an insight into one of the biggest decisions Erik ten Hag has made during his time in the Old Trafford hotseat.
The Dutchman had already made quite the splash following a very public dispute with one club legend.
And while there was never any real indication that David de Gea’s Manchester United career would end quite as poisonously as Cristiano Ronaldo’s did, letting the long-serving Spaniard leave on a free transfer was still a decision which split the fanbase.
As McCarthy would explain, during an interview with 947 Joburg in his native South America, De Gea’s exit and the subsequent arrival of Andre Onana in his place was a ‘managerial choice’.
“Everyone loved David. David was an iconic player for the club (with an) unbelievable history. But, unfortunately, when you’re time is up, your time is up,” said McCarthy, who left United this week as part of a coaching shake up.
“The manager just felt he wanted a change and wanted to bring in a goalkeeper who is really good with his feet. And that’s why the manager really wanted to bring in Andre Onana.”
Erik ten Hag brought Andre Onana to Manchester United
And that is also why Man United spent some time mulling over another goalkeeper who would end up making the switch to England last summer.
Bart Verbruggen might have made his name at Anderlecht back in 2023 following his penalty shoot-out heroics against Villarreal in Europe but it was his ‘exceptional’ ability with the ball at his feet that caught the eye of some of Europe’s more possession-obsessed managers.
The Manchester Evening News wrote that Ten Hag was a big fan.
So too was Roberto de Zerbi, the coach who would eventually get his mitts on Verbruggen when Brighton and Hove Albion agreed a £17 million deal.
One year on, Verbruggen is the number one pick both for Brighton and the Netherlands too.
He was one of Ronald Koeman’s stand-out performers during the Oranje’s run to the semi-finals of Euro 2024, his remarkable reflex stop denying Turkey a late leveller in the last-eight.
And Ten Hag, via Algemeen Dagblad, could not help but lavish praise upon a man who might have ended up at Old Trafford had Inter Milan not been open to offers for Onana.
“The goalkeeper, Bart Verbruggen, really great,” Ten Hag says.
Bart Verbruggen one of the breakout stars of Euro 2024
Verbruggen is not the only goalkeeper Man United pursued at the time. There were talks with the now-Newcastle man Odysseas Vlachodimos as well as Matheus of Braga and Justin Bijlow of Feyenoord.
Zion Suzuki, the American-born Japan international, was also a target.
Suzuki was labelled a ‘world-class’ talent ahead of his potential move to Serie A outfit Parma this week. Kees Luijckx, the former Eredivisie centre-back, believes that Verbruggen is edging towards that bracket himself.
“He was there at crucial moments,” Luijckx tells EC Praat. “That save just before the end against Turkey, which he parried under his body, that’s class. Not many goalkeepers can do that; go to the ground so quickly and react.”
“First of all, you look at saves, but also his body language. He’s a really fresh, self-assured guy. It’s quite possible that we’ll have a world-class goalkeeper for the next twenty years.”
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