‘Door still open’ for Dubravka to walk away from Man Utd after being afforded zero minutes for Red Devils
- Keeper made season-long loan move
- Stuck behind De Gea at Old Trafford
- Could return to St James' Park in 2023
WHAT HAPPENED? The Slovakia international goalkeeper accepted a call from Old Trafford during the summer transfer window after seeing big money invested in Nick Pope at St. James’ Park. Dubravka had hoped to compete with David de Gea for game time in his new surroundings, but he has seen no minutes so far and may be tempted to head back to the north east once a season-long loan agreement comes to a close.
WHAT THEY SAID: Howe would be happy to welcome Dubravka back, saying: "Of course yeah the door is still open. A lot depends on what Martin wants. We will take it from there. It's difficult for me to comment. I don't know what goes on at any other football club. All I will say is I love Martin as a lad, he did brilliantly for us last year. And he is an outstanding goalkeeper and I will have a chat with him at the right time."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Dubravka was first-choice at Newcastle for four years, taking in 130 appearances for the club, but opted to move on when finding himself nudged down the pecking order.
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WHAT NEXT? Questions have been asked over De Gea’s future in Manchester, with no extension triggered as yet in his contract, but the Spaniard has been in impressive form during the 2022-23 campaign and appears set to block the path of any shot-stopping competition for some time yet.