Manuel Neuer shows just why Manchester United wanted to sign him

Manchester United may have won the first leg of their semi-finals Champions League clash with Schalke 2-0 but Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer showed just why the Red Devils were believed to be chasing him.

The German international almost single handedly kept United at bay, making at least five top-class saves. However his efforts were in vein as the English side finally found a way past him in the second half.

Summer

The German international keeper will be leaving Gelsenkirchen this summer for Bavarian giants Bayern Munich according to reports.

However before this move was discussed he was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford to replace Edwin Van Der Sar this summer.

Highly-rated

Manuel Neuer is one of most highly-rated keepers in the world. If as reported he is heading to Munich then they have pulled off a really coup by signing the keeper. He was always going to stay in Germany as according to Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness Neuer ‘only ever goes out of Germany to go on holiday’.

Needed

Maybe Bayern and Manuel Neuer are a good match. Bayern have struggled to find a decent keeper since the days of the great Oliver Kahn. The likes of current keepers Hans-Jorg Butt and youngster Thomas Kraft have shown this season that they are not good enough.

Bayern are the giants of German football and if he does stay in his homeland then Bayern is the biggest club he could join. In fact Bayern are still regarded as one of the biggest names in world football.

However the Bundesliga isn’t quite rated as highly as the Premier League and a move to Manchester United would seem like a bigger one than to a fellow Bundesliga side, even if it is Bayern Munich.

Irritated

The German international is a winner and he proved it by saying that was he ‘irritated’ by his sides 2-0 defeat at home to the Red Devils. Although he did say he was pleased to be praised by United boss Sir Alex Ferguson after the game.

Hijack

It seems that although the keeper doesn’t want to leave Germany Sir Alex Ferguson still hasn’t given up hope of signing the 25 year-old. The veteran Scot knows that Bayern are lining up a bid and expect to complete his signing.
The Bavarians also don’t expect to pay an ‘astronomical fee’ either, so it doesn’t appear that Manuel Neuer will cost a crazy amount of money to sign. He could prove a real bargain buy.

Recommended

The German keeper comes with a high recommendation from Manchester United keeping legend Peter Schmeichel. He Told Sky Sports:

“He is probably the best goalkeeper in the world. He is 25 years of age. He’s been captain for that team for a number of years. He is very mature in the way he plays.

“He doesn’t make mistakes – I haven’t seen him make a single mistake – and the way he played yesterday, he wasn’t lucky in the way that he saved the shots and one-on-ones, it was very calculated.

“I just thought his overall game was fantastic and absolutely well-suited for Manchester United.”

To be recommended by someone like Schmeichel he really must be a top keeper and surely United boss Sir Alex Ferguson must try his hardest to sign the German international.

Unlikely

Unfortunately for Manchester United it looks likely that Manuel Neuer won’t be joining them this summer. It’s a shame because I believe he would be the ideal replacement for the retiring Edwin Van Der Sar this summer. I suppose that Manchester United’s loss is Bayern Munich’s gain.

Is Manuel Neuer right to chose Munich over Manchester?