Man Utd consider shock free agent move for player with 9 Newcastle United appearances

A former Newcastle United goalkeeper and a player that once enjoyed a loan spell at Gateshead are reportedly being considered for a surprise summer move to Manchester United.

There is some uncertainty about the goalkeeping ranks as Old Trafford despite Andre Onana seemingly cementing his place as Ruben Amorim’s number one stopper. Turkey international Altay Bayindir was brought in by former Red Devils head coach during the summer of 2023 but has made just seven appearances so far but it yet to make his Premier League debut with all of his appearances coming in the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League.

Veteran keeper Tom Heaton is an experienced third-choice stopper but the former Burnley star has made just three appearances since agreeing to a second spell at Old Trafford in 2021 and the last of those came in a Carabao Cup semi-final second leg clash with Nottingham Forest in February 2023. As it stands, Heaton is out of contract at the end of the season and is likely to bring down the curtain on second stint with the Red Devils.

That has left the Old Trafford hierarchy to consider two shock options to join their goalkeeping ranks according to one report on Sunday morning. The Sun’s Alan Nixon has reported the Red Devils are ‘keeping a keen eye’ on former Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman and scouted the former England Under-21 star before an ankle injury in recent weeks. Woodman has kept 13 clean sheets in 37 appearances for North End this season and looks set to leave Deepdale when his contract comes to an end this summer. Woodman joined Newcastle’s academy from Crystal Palace during the summer of 2012 and went on to enjoy loan spells with the likes of Aberdeen, Swansea City and Kilmarnock as well as making nine senior appearances for the Magpies prior to his departure to Preston in the summer of 2022.

The report also claimed former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Aynsley Pears is under consideration by Manchester United - although the former Gateshead loan signing still has two years remaining on his current deal with Championship club Blackburn Rovers. The 26-year-old is the son of former Boro keeper Stephen Pears, who started his senior career at Old Trafford in the early 80s.

What did Freddie Woodman say about his departure from Newcastle?

Speaking to The Gazette after his move to Preston North End was confirmed in the summer of 2022, the former Magpies stopper said: “Obviously, I’m really happy to be joining Preston – I think it’s a fantastic club, a club which has got a lot of history. But also it’s a sad day when a chapter ends in your career at a club where you went there as a boy, and leave a man. All my family fell in love with the North East, and now we’ve all left. I came up here as a 14-year-old boy, and I’m 25 now. It’s a long time to spend at one football club, and I can’t thank the club enough for giving me the opportunity to grow as a man firstly.

“In my early days they helped me massively with my education, they helped my family. I couldn’t thank them enough. Obviously, to represent a football club the size of Newcastle has always been an honour. It’s been a pleasure, really. The fans were also brilliant with me, and I’d like to thank them too.”

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