The David De Gea saga took yet another twist prior to the Premier League opener on Saturday when Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal confirmed the goalkeeper would not start United's home match versus Tottenham (the Reds won 1-0). Real Madrid have been strongly linked with a move for the Spaniard for much of 2015 in a tedious affair that has stretched United fans' patience to the breaking point.
De Gea is perhaps more likely to wear a Madrid shirt than a United one once the transfer window shuts, with numerous keepers linked with a move to Old Trafford as his replacement. At this time, though, Sergio Romero is United's No. 1 choice. The Argentine made his first league start this calendar year in the Premier League's curtain raiser and did not disappoint, gaining a WhoScored.com rating of 7.32 in United's win over Spurs.
Twice Romero denied Christian Eriksen late on to confirm all three points, and the display drew praise from the equally impressive Chris Smalling. "I think Sergio looked the part," the United centre-back told MUTV after the win.
There have even been suggestions that Romero could be the long-term successor to De Gea as United's first-choice shot stopper. Despite a lack of competitive action for Sampdoria last season, the 28-year-old performed admirably between the sticks. In fact, of all goalkeepers to make at least five Serie A starts last term, only Eugenio Lamanna (7.25) gained a better WhoScored.com rating than Romero (7.03).
Moreover, Romero's save success rate (73.2 percent) was better than De Gea's (69.4 percent) in their respective league competitions. While Romero was shaky early on Saturday, he grew into the game and gained United the spoils.
It could have been different for Van Gaal's side, amid reports that Sam Johnstone was in line to start in goal. The 22-year-old goalkeeper spent the second half of last season on loan with Preston North End, conceding just 17 goals in 22 appearances.
Along with Johnstone, Van Gaal has Victor Valdes and Anders Lindegaard to call on in reserve, although neither goalkeeper is expected to feature again for United since the former was criticised by his manager and the latter has not featured in all competitions for his club since April 2014. With both supposedly available for transfer, Romero -- who won the 2008-09 Eredivisie title under Van Gaal with AZ Alkmaar -- has a clear shot at United's first-team spot.
His lack of experience in England's top tier is countered in that over the past 12 months or so, Romero has turned out for Argentina in both the World Cup and Copa America finals. While he was on the losing side in both encounters, his big-game experience certainly bodes well for United and may stand him in good stead as he attempts to nail down a regular starting berth.
Given he is currently ahead of Valdes, Lindegaard and Johnstone in the pecking order at Old Trafford, Romero should retain the No. 1 spot, especially with United looking to strengthen elsewhere. Having been picked up on a free transfer following the culmination of his Sampdoria contract, Romero's capture represents astute business from the 13-time Premier League champions. Although perhaps not quite of the standard of the goalkeeper he is replacing, Romero is a solid addition to the team who Van Gaal trusts given their history together.
The ongoing De Gea fiasco needs to come to a conclusion sooner rather than later, but once it does, United fans needn't be too concerned about the goalkeeper tasked with filling his gloves at Old Trafford. If Romero's Premier League debut was anything to go by, the Argentina international clearly boasts the ability to start between the sticks for the foreseeable future.
All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, where you can find more stats, including live in-game data and unique player and team ratings.