By Agency Report
Martin Dubravka has described his brief spell at Manchester United as “an enjoyable experience” and has thanked the club for their hospitality upon his return to Newcastle after his parent club sanctioned a recall.
The goalkeeper arrived at United on deadline day as a back-up to David de Gea for the season, after Dean Henderson left temporarily for Nottingham Forest. The Reds paid £2m for the privilege of his services in a deal that contained a £6m obligation-to-buy clause if he had chalked up a specified number of Premier League appearances.
Dubravka made two underwhelming competitive outings in all, both in the League Cup. After making his debut in November’s third-round 4-2 win over Aston Villa, the veteran put in a shaky display in the 2-0 fourth-round triumph over Burnley.
The shot-stopper made a handful of mistakes, including letting a back-pass roll underneath his studs towards his own goal as well as palming a ricochet back towards his own net that had to be amended by a back-tracking Casemiro.
Dubravka, who suffered an injury while on international duty in September, featured in United’s Premier League matchday squad on just seven occasions. He was seen warming up ahead of the club’s 1-0 win over Wolves at Molineux on Saturday but was not named on the bench. The Slovak also missed last Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Taking to Instagram to comment on his exit, Dubravka thanked United for their “warmth and support”. He wrote: “Hi guys, I have been recalled from loan at Manchester United and will return to Newcastle.
“Although short, it has been an enjoyable experience in Manchester and I wish to sincerely thank all the coaches, staff, players and fans of MUFC for their warmth and support during my loan spell.
“Regarding Newcastle, I have been delighted to see the club make such an impressive start to the season! Newcastle is my home and I will be back to support the squad and the goalkeeping group for the second half of the season.
“As always I will give my all to the team and will contribute in any way that I can to hopefully a memorable season. Wishing you all a very happy new year!”
The Manchester Evening News understands that United are undecided on whether to bring in a replacement for Dubravka. Tom Heaton, 36, and debut-less Nathan Bishop are Erik ten Hag’s current back-up options behind De Gea.
