Retrospect can be a weird and wonderful thing in football, often bringing both regret and relief to the beautiful game in equal measure. For Manchester United, however, the 12 years since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure have produced far too many “what if” moments.
One glaring example came when Gary Neville recommended the club sign someone who is now one of Arsenal’s best players, only for the United hierarchy to opt for a £47 million flop instead. It’s a reminder of one of Old Trafford’s biggest weaknesses in the modern era: the inability to consistently make their transfer business pay off as it once did.
David Raya, once a little-known figure during the early years of his Brentford career, is now regarded as one of the world’s top goalkeepers. Neville recently revealed that he had tipped the Spaniard to join United, only to be met with a blunt dismissal, before the club ultimately signed Andre Onana instead.
Why Man United Rejected Neville's Recommendation To Sign Raya
david raya
The Gunners signed Raya on loan from Premier League rivals Brentford ahead of the 2023/24 season to compete with current No.1 Aaron Ramsdale. Raya quickly displaced the England international as Mikel Arteta’s first-choice goalkeeper and secured a permanent move to the Emirates Stadium worth £27 million.
Neville had been impressed by Raya’s performances for The Bees and even recommended the goalkeeper to his former club, Man United. However, the Red Devils - still in desperate need of a new goalkeeper - felt Raya was not strong enough with his feet to join the club. On a recent episode of The Overlap, he recalled (watch the full segment below):
"Do you remember when Arsenal got David Raya? I mentioned him to someone at Manchester United. I had watched him quite a bit for Brentford and I thought he looked a good goalkeeper and they said, 'he’s not good enough with his feet.' The person I spoke to at United said that. They said 'we looked at him, but there were concerns about his feet.'"
United’s decision to let David de Gea leave - and then ignore calls to sign Raya - appears to have set the club back years. Since his arrival in 2023, no Premier League goalkeeper has made more errors leading to goals than Andre Onana.
Both he and his understudy, Altay Bayindir, have also developed a worrying tendency to concede from corners, whether being outmuscled by opponents or beaten by perfectly looped deliveries into the back of the net - known more commonly as an Olimpico.
Andre Onana in action for Manchester United
With Raya, Arsenal have a goalkeeper who has won two successive Premier League Golden Gloves, and whose calm assurance between the posts has helped the Gunners boast the best defence in the country - and arguably one of the best in Europe, if not the world - while United continue to struggle in a goalkeeping quandary as they aim to sign another before the summer transfer window slams shut.