Manchester United have been accused of ‘holding back young, English talent’ by the agent of goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, after the club reportedly refused to loan him out during the summer transfer window.
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Johnstone has been on the bench for all six first-team games so far this season, with Louis van Gaal opting for Argentine Sergio Romero ahead of him with David De Gea not being considered for selection.
Louis van Gaal’s side have a goalkeeping catalogue at the club now, with De Gea, Johnstone, Romero and Victor Valdes all still on the books after Anders Lindegaard was sold to West Brom while De Gea’s move to Real Madrid collapsed at the last minute.
Now, with Johnstone likely to move further down the pecking order with the Spaniard’s re-emergence in the first team picture he reportedly asked for a loan move away from the club for regular first-team football.
However his agent, Jordan Segal, says that Louis van Gaal blocked any potential departure away from the club and is ‘holding back young English talent’ by not playing his client.
"“Sam just wants to play football but Manchester United are holding him back and not even playing him,” Segal told the Daily Mail.“He is a young goalkeeper and it is time for him to play regularly. If that is not at Manchester United, then it has to be elsewhere. This is an example of young English talent being held back by Van Gaal.”"
Johnstone spent last season on loan with Doncaster and Preston North End where he helped lead them to promotion to the Championship, keeping a clean sheet in the play-off final at Wembley.
He then played more minutes than any other player on the US tour this summer but was overlooked for the first game of the season against Tottenham, with van Gaal opting for Romero despite the Argentine only signing for the club 10 days prior.
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Segal continued to slam United, claiming that Johnstone is ready for regular first-team football whether it’s at Old Trafford or elsewhere.
"‘The start of the season was the perfect opportunity to give Sam his chance to prove he can play for United. He is ready.“If they do not want him to play then he needs to move for the sake of his career. He cannot sit on the bench or in the reserves.“England should have as many goalkeepers as possible to pick from. Given the early progress in his career that is the level he is aiming for. He is not going to get there by not playing.”"
While the loan window for the Football league is still open, it’s unlikely that Johnstone will be allowed to leave the club as Louis van Gaal and Victor Valdes are still at war with the Dutch coach failing to sell the former Barcelona man to Besiktas on deadline day, meaning Johnstone will be relegated to third choice once De Gea returns to the picture.