Sergio Romero has been the first choice for Manchester United in the other cup competitions (Getty Images)
According to Daily Mail, Manchester United could offer goalkeeper Sergio Romero to Aston Villa as a part of a deal to sign Jack Grealish.
Grealish has since long been a transfer target involving United and a report last week suggested that the Red Devils are willing to part Romero for the £70million-rated Villa captain.
Romero, on the other hand, has mostly been used as a back-up keeper at Old Trafford since moving to the side from Sampdoria back in 2015. The Argentine shot-stopper has spent the major share of his time with United on the sidelines due to the presence of main man David de Gea.
This season too, the 33-year-old Romero featured mostly in the cup competitions, making just 17 appearances altogether. Despite impressing when given the chance, Romero was still overlooked for the semi-finals of the FA Cup and Europa League.
With the keeper clearly not one of the favourites at Old Trafford at the moment, United’s decision to let go of him to sign Grealish does not come as a big surprise.
Moreover, with United’s 23-year-old academy graduate Dean Henderson now back in the side following a stellar two-year loan spell with Sheffield United, Romero’s chances seem increasingly limited.
Henderson, meanwhile, was crucial in helping Sheffield earn Premier League promotion in the 2018-19 season when they emerged Championship winners. He was excellent for the Blades in the top-flight, keeping 13 clean sheets from 36 league games.
With the youngster clearly proving his potential at the highest level, United have now recalled him and agreed on a new six-year contract worth up to £120,000-a-week. Henderson’s sudden rise through the ranks at such a short duration means Romero will surely fall further down the pecking order at Old Trafford in the coming days.
The Red Devils also have veteran Lee Grant and Joel Pereira as a back-up. Thus, it is clear that Manchester United have enough depth in their goal-keeping department and it won’t hurt them much if Romero departs next season.
First of all, United’s decision to recall the in-form Henderson back to the side suggests that Romero’s first-team chances will be very limited in the future. Also, selling Romero for in-form Villa star Grealish will save the Red Devils a lot of time and money.
