Slovakian shot-stopper Martin Dubravka moves across the Pennines, from Newcastle to Manchester. Swapping one United for another, the 33-year-old joins on a season-long loan, with the option of making it permanent for £5 million. Unseated by ex-Burnley and England keeper Nick Pope at his previous club, the new Old Trafford arrival will warm the benches behind established first-choice keeper David De Gea. One surmises that being no.2 at one United is better than the other, and to Dubravka’s credit, he has answered conclusively on this front.

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After the near-burial of the Red Devils against Brentford, a foul mood ran through the club. With supporters raising a stink (for the last decade and a half) over the Glazers’ mismanagement, the anger threatened to spill over against Liverpool. Instead, Erik Ten Hag’s youthful line-up shocked their fancied North-West neighbours. Following up with a battling 1-0 win against Southampton, all is suddenly sunny in Manchester. Recent incomings- Casemiro and Antony– add steel and style to the squad. Comparatively, Dubravka is an afterthought.

Having let go of Dean Henderson to Nottingham Forest on loan- the youngster forced United’s hand- the list of goalkeepers stops at ageing Tom Heaton. He is younger than 38-year-old Remko Pasveer -who stood between the sticks during Ten Hag’s last season at Ajax- but lacks the qualities the Dutchman requires in goal. As does De Gea, but he remains one of the most agile keepers in the league. With zero league appearances since joining, old Heaton is the bonafide third choice, the stand-in for the stand-in.

Dubravka was first-choice at Newcastle as recently as last season. An incredible shot-stopper but stylistically similar to De Gea, the Slovak represents an almost like-for-like substitute for the Spaniard. Both saved over 65% of shots last season- De Gea 69.5% to Dubravka 67.9%. Absolute percentages reveal little, however. To gain a fuller sense, a look at their Post-Shot Expected Goals (PSxG) figures against the actual amount of Goals Allowed (GA) should help. With a PSxG of 38.1, he let in 35 goals (in 26 games) last season. Excluding the one own goal, the PSxG-GA differential comes to +4.1. For De Gea: PSxG of 60.7 to a GA of 57 in 38 games. Excluding the three own goals, his differential stands at +6.7. On the ball, they are better off punting longer than playing tippy-tappy passes. While 37% of De Gea’s attempted passes were long, for Dubravka, it stands at 50%. Their average pass length stands at 35.2 yards and 41.1 yards, respectively (all figures from FBref).

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The stylistic similarities might have coaxed United to snap up the Slovak as their second choice. A loan deal with a potential £5 million is an intelligent move, perhaps even allowing the Nottingham-based Henderson to stake a claim in United colours in the long term. Overall the verdict on this is wholly positive.