Premier League: 5 Goalkeepers who could take David de Gea's place at Manchester United

To say the usually dependable Spaniard David de Gea dropped the ball a few times this season would be an understatement. High profile errors against Arsenal, Chelsea, Wolverhampton, Everton, and Barcelona exposed de Gea and his weaknesses.

Now it seems that the man from Madrid, who lost his tag as the fan favourite at Manchester United, is likely to move onto fresh and warmer pastures over the coming summer, with Paris Saint-Germain a likely destination.

The French Ligue 1 winners, desperate to add the missing pieces to the jigsaw and to finally bring home the Champions League trophy, have been long-term admirers of United's shot-stopper supreme, and they look to be in pole position to land their man ahead of European rivals, Real Madrid.

So what will the English powerhouse club do to fill the void between the posts? This article examines a few of the candidates United's coaches and scouts will surely have their eyes on:

#5 Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)

Courtois had an underwhelming season at Real Madrid

The Belgium number one endured a difficult first campaign at the Santiago Bernabeu, conceding over a goal per game, and regularly finding himself warming the bench. Keylor Navas was favoured over the Belgian in the Copa del Rey and eventually displaced Courtois in around a quarter of Madrid's La Liga & Champions League ties.

There is no doubt Courtois is a talented goalkeeper, and he will be hoping to cement his spot next season under the tutelage of the returning Zinedine Zidane.

However, don't be surprised to find Los Blancos sniffing around Old Trafford once again for David de Gea; and don't be surprised if the man at the wheel finds some sort of swap deal involving the big Belgian to be best for all parties.

Real Madrid have been long-time admirors of de Gea and it was only after the Spaniard's commitment to United at the start of the 2018-19 season that Madrid went after Courtois, prompting Chelsea to recruit Kepa Arrizabalaga in a world-record fee for a goalkeeper.

#4 Sergio Romero (Manchester United)

Sergio Romero has been the second-choice goalkeeper at Manchester United

The Argentine number one has proven himself a more-than-capable deputy to David de Gea since arriving at Old Trafford from Sampdoria in 2015. Many United fans felt the keeper was originally signed to replace the outgoing Spaniard. But thanks to an infamous error with the club's fax-machine, David de Gea ended up staying put and Romero has filled-in between the sticks ever since; and capably so!

Manchester United are in desperate need of fresh impetus at right-back, center-half, centre-midfield and right-wing, while more competition is required at left-back.

The goalkeeping predicament is less pressing, however, and, though fans would be disappointed to see their three-time player-of-the-year leave the club. Most would agree that Romero has probably earned a stint between the sticks and that the money gained from any possible sale of the Spaniard, who despite entering the final year of his contract next season is still valued at £70-110 million pounds, could be better used in other areas.

#3 Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan)

Manchester United were heavily linked with the young AC Milan shot-stopper in the summer of 2017, the last time De Gea started to throw his paella out of the pram. If recent reports are to be believed, there is a chance that Italy's sleeping giants could be forced to sell their prized asset in order to avoid punishment under UEFA's financial fair play regulations.

PSG have also been linked with Donnarumma in recent months, but the highly competitive goalkeeper could be tempted to the Premier League in search of brighter lights and bigger tests.

Donnarumma has played 166 games for the Serie A side, conceding roughly a goal per game and kept a clean sheet in 58 of those appearances. If Solskjaer is truly determined to snap up young talent and build a new era at Old Trafford, the Italian (12 caps) is surely worth a flutter.

#2 Dean Henderson (Manchester United on loan at Sheffield United)

Dean Henderson has spent two seasons away from Old Trafford but is still on the books at the Manchester Club.

In 2017, he went out on loan to Shrewsbury Town, where he was voted the club's player-of-the-season. This prompted Sheffield United to take him on loan for the 2018-19 Championship season and, once again, he was voted as the Blades' player-of-the-season as they fought their way back up to the Premier League (are you noticing the theme here?).

The young star-in-the-making has already been capped by England at U16, U17, U20 & U21 level and is highly regarded by all who have witnessed his display at the net. He might not yet be ready for the crushing responsibility that goes with being in goal at the Stretford End, but why shouldn't United keep faith with Romero for one season, allow Henderson a season of top-flight football in the EPL with the Blades and, assuming all goes well, give him the number one jersey in time for the 2020-21 season?

#1 Jan Oblak, Atletico Madrid

The Slovenian-born Atletico Madrid number one has had another fantastic season in La Liga and is now quite rightly regarded as one of the elite goalkeepers in world football.

He kept 20 clean sheets in the Spanish top-flight this season and pulled off an incredible nine saves when his club faced Barcelona earlier this year, earning him a pat on the back from Lionel Messi himself at the full-time whistle.

Oblak would not come cheap and is currently valued at £72 miilion on Transfer Markt, though most would agree that in reality United would need to almost double that to tempt Atletico into a sale.

However, if the Red Devils are serious about their EPL aspirations, Oblak must be on the radar. He is not only capable of filling De Gea's boots but is potentially an all-round better goalkeeper. Oblak could even surpass de Gea if given time and a back-line minus the likes of Ashley Young and Phil Jones.

Manchester United need to begin again. Which one of these goalkeepers would you like to see at United? Let us know in the comments section below.

Edited by Aravind Suchindran