Football Today
·14 agosto 2024
‘That would be nice’: 24yo Bayer Leverkusen star wants to join Manchester United in future
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·14 agosto 2024
Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Matej Kovar has opened the door for a reunion with Manchester United.
The 24-year-old joined Leverkusen from the Red Devils last summer. He made 17 appearances across all competitions for the German champions.
In a recent interview with Rheinische Post, Kovar spoke about the decision to leave his country as a 17-year-old to live his childhood dream with United.
He added that it was the right time to move on to Leverkusen, but refused to rule out a return to Old Trafford at some stage in his playing career.
He said: “It wasn’t an easy decision to leave everything behind at that age: the country, my friends, my family.
“But when Manchester United calls, you don’t have to think long. For me, a childhood dream came true. I had to take that chance.
“I was there for five years, enjoyed the time, met a lot of great people and matured as a goalkeeper and a person. I’m grateful for the experiences.
“Of course, there were ups and downs, but they’re part of life. Maybe I’ll come back one day, that would be nice.”
The Czech Republic international made only one appearance in Bundesliga last term with Lukas Hradecky being an undisputed choice for manager Xabi Alonso.
However, Kovar started every game (12) in the Europa League and also made four appearances en route to winning the DFB-Pokal Cup against Kaiserslautern.
Leverkusen obviously have huge plans for Kovar in future. With Hradecky almost 35, the German giants could soon replace him with Kovar in the league too.
United don’t need another shot-stopper at the moment, but they could pursue one in a few years’ time depending on how Andre Onana performs in goal.
We won’t be surprised if the club consider a reunion with Kovar. He was impressive in pre-season last summer, but preferred to move on for first-team minutes.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com