Paul Scholes reflects on Manchester United flop Massimo Taibi and how he thought the Italian goalkeeper had something special when he joined the club in 1999.
Replacing a top goalkeeper is not an easy task. In fact, it’s one Sir Alex Ferguson struggled with, especially after Peter Schmeichel left Manchester United in 1999 to join Sporting CP.
While Schmeichel would return to English football after one year in Portugal, to play for Aston Villa and Man City, Ferguson tried out several names to replace the Dane.
Mark Bosnich didn’t go to plan, and neither did Massimo Taibi or Fabien Barthez. Tim Howard and Roy Carroll had a go as well, but the goalkeeper situation was not properly solved until 2005 when Edwin van der Sar signed in a £2 million deal from Fulham.
That means it took Ferguson six years to find a proper replacement for Schmeichel.
Manchester United's goalkeeper Massimo Taibi lets
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Paul Scholes verdict on Massimo Taibi at Man Utd
Taibi’s time at Old Trafford was short, disastrous, and he will be remembered as one of Ferguson’s worst-ever signings.
The Italian arrived in the wake of the Treble success in 1999 from Venezia to provide cover after Bosnich picked up an injury.
Taibi made a total of four appearances for United and was sent out on loan to Reggina in January 2000 before joining them permanently for £2.5 million in July of the same year.
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Former United midfielder Paul Scholes has reflected on Taibi’s short spell at United, stating that he was unbelievable on his debut against Liverpool, despite giving a goal away.
Speaking to The Good, The Bad & The Football, Scholes said: “Remember his debut at Liverpool? He gave a goal away, but he was unbelievable.
“Man of the match on his first game, and I think he only played four times.
“£4.5 million which was big [at the time]. He made that massive mistake against Southampton, went through his legs, but he made a few more.
“I don’t think he ever played again, maybe he played once again.”
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What did Massimo Taibi say about his time at Man Utd?
In 2016, Taibi did an interview explaining his time at United.
The Italian opened up about multiple topics, including his decision to sign for United and appreciating the support he received from the fans.
“I left Italy in 1999 because I could not turn down a club as great as Manchester United,” Taibi told the Manchester Evening News.
“I did not know Sir Alex Ferguson well other than I knew he wanted to sign me. I think I only met him once beforehand.
“It was a good experience and a fantastic stadium. I liked the United fans.”
He added: “It was hard to replace Schmeichel and there was so much pressure on me,” he remembers.
“But my debut against Liverpool was a great memory. It was a beautiful game as I won man of the match.”