Martin Dubravka recalled by Newcastle

Manchester United are again in need of a backup goalkeeper as Newcastle United have recalled Martin Dubravka from his loan.

Here is the official statement from the club:

“Martin Dubravka has been recalled from his season-long loan to Manchester United by his parent club Newcastle United.

The Slovakian goalkeeper has made two appearances for the Reds since arriving from Tyneside in the summer, both in the Carabao Cup.

Martin’s competitive debut for United came in November, with the ‘keeper playing his part as Erik ten Hag’s side defeated Aston Villa 4-2 at Old Trafford.

More recently, Dubravka was selected between the sticks in our last Carabao Cup fixture, the 2-0 home win over Burnley, as the Reds reached the competition’s quarter-finals.

We would like to thank Martin for his contribution during his time with our club, and wish him all the best for the future.”

Dubravka is not a major part of United’s plans this season and certainly wasn’t playing like someone who could be a long term solution at goalkeeper, but this does potentially add to the club’s to-do list in January. There was a need for another goalkeeper after Dean Henderson’s loan to Nottingham Forest, and now there is again with David De Gea’s contract set to run down in the summer.

Now with funds restricted and the future of the club’s ownership and investment there is little expectation to spend on starters in January, let alone back ups, but the active search for loan deals might be affected by the early departure of Dubravka.