Bundesliga
Replacement for Neuer: Hamann pleads for Spaniard de Gea
David de Gea was most recently between the posts for Manchester United. photo
© Martin Rickett/PA Wire/dpa
Manuel Neuer will still be missing from FC Bayern after breaking his leg. Who will Munich get as a replacement? Sky expert Dietmar Hamann looks at the former Manchester United goalkeeper.
Sky expert Dietmar Hamann (49) sees the national goalkeeper’s comeback plans Manuel Neuer at Bayern Munich skeptical.
“It’s not said that he’ll hold up like before. He didn’t hold up well at the World Cup and the weeks before that too,” said the former national soccer player at an event hosted by the TV station in Munich. “With every week, every month that he’s been injured, it’s getting harder to come back.” Hamann lacks “the imagination as to why Neuer should hold up better than before after such a serious injury. That’s out of the question for me”.
Neuer (37) suffered a broken leg in a skiing accident in December while on vacation after the World Cup in Qatar. The longtime number one is currently working on a comeback in the Bayern and DFB goal. Most recently, Neuer had to undergo another operation on his right fibula. It is still unclear when he will return.
After the move from Yann Sommer (34) to Inter Milan, the Munich team currently only has one experienced goalkeeper in Sven Ulreich (35). Hamann therefore considers the Spaniard David de Gea (32) to be a suitable Bayern candidate. “It’s the most likely solution for me,” he said of the goalkeeper without a club. “He was an outstanding goalkeeper, he hasn’t forgotten that.”
De Gea has not received a new contract with Manchester United after twelve years. His successor was Cameroonian André Onana, who was signed by Inter Milan. The Italians, in turn, brought Sommer from FC Bayern.