Manchester United were one of the teams that grabbed the most headlines during the January transfer window. The Red Devils signed Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon, and also snapped Odion Ighalo on a loan deal on Deadline Day.
However, the Old Trafford outfit also made a signing looking towards the future. Manchester United signed Southend United goalkeeper Nathan Bishop for an undisclosed fee. The 20-year-old, who made 17 appearances for the League One club this season, joined The Red Devils on a two-and-a-half year deal.
The England Under-20 international made his first-team debut for the Shrimpers in December 2017. He made 39 appearances for the League One club before departing to Old Trafford. Bishop talked about the move with the club’s official website.
“The opportunity to join Manchester United is a dream come true”, Bishop told Manchester United’s official site following his arrival last week. “This club has a great record of developing goalkeepers and I cannot wait to work with the coaches here to improve every single day. I want to take the chance to thank everyone at Southend United for everything they have done for me throughout my time there; without their support, this move would not have been possible”, he added.
However, it might take a while before we can see him stopping shots at Old Trafford on a regular basis. David De Gea should remain as the club’s starting goalkeeper for the foreseeable future. Plus, it doesn’t seem Sergio Romero is going to leave until his contract comes to an end. Matej Kovar has been shining in the Academy for years as well. He should get a chance to prove his worth sooner than later. In other words, Bishop might not feature for The Red Devils any time soon. He is not more than the fourth-best or fifth-best goalkeeper alternative at the moment.
Lee Grant and Romero won’t be around for long, though. A perfect scenario for Bishop would be to fight with Kovar for the backup goalkeeper role in one or two more seasons. But the club made a great move signing him now. He was gathering a lot of attention from Premier League clubs. With that in mind, he could be an excellent long-term signing. Even if we have to wait several months to see him debut at Old Trafford.
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